The Ember Effect
by Written Eternal
Summary: What started out as Twilight noticing Applejack was acting a little funny turns into something much, much more. And when Rainbow Dash tells a tiny lie, she somehow talks her way into a corner. The only way out? Going on a fake date with Fluttershy. ...It was fake, wasn't it? TwiJack in parts 1 and 3, FlutterDash in part 2. Set during Season 4. Now on Part 2!
1. Part 1: Midnight Memories

**Midnight Memories**

Twilight was really confused.

Usually Applejack was mostly caught up in her work, especially around now as it was Apple Bucking Season. But lately, it seemed as if it was just the opposite. AJ seemed to be asking for her company more than ever, with Twilight spending more time at Sweet Apple Acres than she was at her own library!

At first Twilight took it as mere kindness, but the more it went on, the more curious she got. She wouldn't have minded it in the least if these invitations were for their entire group of friends, but it seemed as if Twilight was the center of her attention—sometimes the only other person at these gatherings. That strangely got Twilight curious, but even more strangely, she kind of liked it.

"I don't know, Spike," she began one late night, just returning again from Sweet Apple Acres once more "it's just kind of nice. Back home I didn't have a lot of friends, since I was mostly wrapped up in my studies. But lately, AJ has been spending a lot more time with me, and it feels like I have a _sister_ in her."

Spike yawned before lying down on his bed below his friend's. "That makes sense. You know," he started, "you've been a lot happier since. She helps you wind down and not be so… tense."

Twilight recoiled slightly, looking down at her assistant, "I was not _tense_! I was just _focused_ ," she retorted.

Spike snorted in his small bed. "Whatever you say, Twilight."

With that, the small dragon rolled over, leaving Twilight to mull over the day in her mind. She really did like having Applejack invite her around, so much. But was Spike right? Was Applejack really changing her? Twilight knew that Applejack was helping her loose up a little, but was that really a good thing? She had a lot of work to do, especially now that she was a princess, and the distractions, while welcome, wouldn't exactly help her down that bumpy road.

She frowned at that thought, her mind instantly traveling to the worst possible circumstance: what if Applejack's interference put her behind? What if it caused her to _forget to do_ something? She couldn't afford that! Could you imagine what would happen if Celestia found out her _friendship_ got in the way of her duties as the princess of _friendship_? What would she think?

Twilight didn't plan on finding out. She would just have to… frowning, she thought of her possible courses of action. She would just have to—what? Tell Applejack to quit inviting over so much? Or perhaps just not accept as many of these invitations? She didn't really have a clue. "…Spike? Are you awake?" The words were out of her mouth before she could even comprehend what she was doing. She waited a moment, but the little dragon remained silent. She gave up hope that he would answer before rolling over, her back against her friend and her face peering out of the window, gazing up at the Equestrian skies.

She had just closed her eyes when she felt two small claws begin to tug on her blankets. It was only a few seconds later that she felt a small body snuggle up to her back, and felt the soft cycle of breathing behind her. She rolled over to see Spike staring at her, his large eyes reflecting the moonlight. "What's wrong, Twi? Something's really bugging you, isn't it?"

"I guess you could say that," she answered, the frown still etched on her face. "I just don't know what to do."

She felt Spike place his claws on her, peering over into her face. "You mean about Applejack?"

A nod was her only answer.

He tilted his head, thoroughly confused. "What's the big deal? You were happy about it just _two minutes_ ago."

"I know that I just said that I liked being around Applejack so much, but I'm just kind of worried. I've gotten behind in my preparations of the castle, and I haven't even _begun_ to practice the spells written in StarSwirl the Bearded's journal. I have more work than ever before. I can't afford to just _stop_ , so often. I'm starting to get behind in everything, and a large part of that is because I've been busy with AJ."

Spike thought a moment before continuing: "Well before you go making a decision, did you think about _why_ she keeps wanting you around?" he asked, flipping around and collapsing, leaning his head back against his friend. "She could be going through a rough time, and you could be really helping her out. Or maybe she just needs a good friend, right now. She _has_ been pretty busy lately."

"You're right!" Twilight exclaimed, fully sitting up in her bed. "Applejack wouldn't be doing this if she didn't need me for some reason. I'll just have to find out what's the matter, and try to help her. Once I do that, _both_ of our problems will be solved! Thank you, Spike," she said, picking up the dragon with her hoofs for a hug.

The dragon wriggled out of the embrace, dropping onto the bed below. "No problem, Twilight. Now get some sleep… or at least let me get some."

She let out a soft giggle before answering: "Goodnight, Spike."

* * *

Despite Spike's instructions, Twilight couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning, lying on the bed, staring up at the living ceiling of her treehouse, she thought for hours. Every so often, she would glance out of the window, watching the moon's path through the Equestrian stars. Although Twilight was almost positive that she had planned out everything in her mind about solving her friend's problem, it was that very subject that she couldn't get her mind off of.

In the end, she rolled out of bed about an hour before Celestia raised the sun. She had, if she were lucky, a few hours of sleep under her belt, but she wasn't exactly in the mood to keep fighting for any more. In a lack for any other ideas, she knew that Applejack would already be up, the country pony used to this unholy hour. If Twilight began to get cleaned up, she could be at Sweet Apple Acres just at sunrise.

Twilight was well on her way to Sweet Apple Acres when the sun first peaked over the eastern mountains. The walk wasn't too terribly far, but Twilight wasn't exactly eager to hurry on her way there at this early hour, either. She took her time, letting her thoughts drift: "I wonder what could be the matter with AJ? She seemed fine, a couple of weeks ago…" she thought to herself, taking an extra-large step to avoid a puddle made from the late night storm she had weathered. "Maybe Big Macintosh had to go out of town for something, or maybe Granny Smith had to visit somepony in Manehatten, again?" she thought to herself.

No matter what her suspicions were, however, she would find out soon enough, as the farm was just over the next hill. Twilight paced herself, not quite sure of what Applejack would make of her early morning visit. But when she peaked the ridge, she felt a little lost: Applejack, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, and even Applebloom were all gathered in front of the barn, nestled on the dirt, having a nice, quiet picnicked breakfast.

"Well they don't seem to be having any problems…" Twilight thought, her confidence wavering. She fought with herself, wondering if she should press on, and at least talk to Applejack, or if she should just come back later, not wanting to interrupt their family get-together. "Well howdy, Twilight! What brings you here?" The peppy voice of Applejack's sister brought Twilight's struggle to an end, as Applebloom called to her. "C'mon over! We're just havin' breakfast!"

Twilight slowly approached, her face blushed with embarrassment. "Oh, no that's fine. I didn't realize you were having a meal. I can come back later when you're not so busy."

"Oh don't be silly, dear! You just sit on down, y'hear? Applejack here made enough for all 'o us, ain't that right, Big Mac?"

The stallion let out a hearty "Eeeyup".

Applejack flashed an apologetic smile at her friend, her own face taking on an embarrassed smile. A quiet moment passed, with all five ponies not quite sure of what to say to one another. "Well—ah—Twilight, didja need somethin'? You usually aren't this far outta Ponyville this early in the mornin'," Applejack started, taking a hoof and rubbing her head, just below her cowgirl hat.

The young princess' mind suddenly went blank. She didn't have an answer, and she certainly was not prepared to just _lie_ to the living representation of _honesty_. "I—uh—just… couldn't sleep last night, and rather than staring at my ceiling, I thought I would come here, and see if I could help at all." Twilight looked out at the still-rising sun peaking over the orchard, then back at Applejack, who was merely looking, head slightly tilted, at Twilight. Her face was etched with confusion as she, without a doubt, knew that there was more to this than merely what the cover showed.

"I guess we could use your help, Twi… but only if ya really want to. It's not exactly easy workin' on the farm durin' Apple Buckin' season…"

"I'll be glad to do whatever I can," came Twilight's response. Suddenly, an idea formed in her mind on just how to get Applejack to open up to her: "I—just might need to be shown the ropes, first, if that's okay."

If she could get alone with Applejack, she could probably coax her to talk. And what better way could she get Applejack comfortable enough to spill then working in her very own orchard? Applejack felt most comfortable out here on the farm, and putting her in that setting made the most sense. This was going to be _perfect_.

Applebloom hopped up from the picnic blanket, a large smile on her face. "I think we could manage that! Couldn't we, big sis?"

Applejack looked at Twilight one last time, yet Twilight noticed that when she did, her expression changed. It wasn't suspicion, it wasn't confusion… it seemed—Twilight wasn't sure. Just different. It seemed that Applejack was almost… afraid of something. But just as it came, it was gone even faster. The farm pony looked down at her little sister, ruffling up her hair. "We sure can, little 'un. Why don't you help Big Mac and Granny with cleanin' up the picnic, and then meet me and Twilight over at the southern entrance to the fields? We'll be waitin' for ya, okay?"

"I'm on it!" the little filly shouted. Immediately picking up the corner of the blanket with her mouth, she began to help fold up the small mess that breakfast had created.

After that look Applejack had given her, Twilight wasn't so sure how "perfect" this was going to be.

"Twilight, I know somethin' is goin' on, here." The words came faster than the princess expected, as Applejack accused her right when her little sister was out of earshot. They were only halfway to the southern entrance, yet that didn't seem to stop Applejack from turning and facing the princess of friendship, stopping her in her tracks. "What's buggin' ya?"

Twilight didn't know quite how to answer, so once again, she decided on simply answering with the truth. "We're friends, Applejack. We've known each other for a couple of years, now, and we can tell each other everything, right?"

"Of course, Sugar Cube. So tell me: what's the matter?" she asked, placing a single hoof on her friend's shoulder. "I just wanna help, Twilight."

Twilight took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. "That's exactly why I'm here: I want to help." Applejack just stood before her, removing her hoof as confusion rose to her face: "I'm sorry. I'm not following." The words came slowly as Applejack tried to sort the explanation in her mind.

"I've noticed something:" Twilight began. She started tracing a circle in the dirt in front of her, simply to avoid looking at Applejack as she spoke. "You've been inviting me over… a lot. I just feel like something is wrong with _you_ that you don't want to tell anyone. It's been bothering me for a while, now, and I just want to help _you_ , AJ."

A long silence passed, before Twilight looked up to see Applejack, yet that same look had returned. Except this time, she looked even more distraught than before. "I—uh—we gotta get goin' to the Southern entrance. Apple Bloom should be waitin' for us."

And with those words, Applejack turned and began the walk to the orchard, completely ignoring the unspoken question. "Applejack, wait!" Twilight called, trotting up the stomping pony's side. "What's the matter? Did I say something?" she asked, Applejack's response both confusing and hurting her.

With a deep sigh, the country pony stopped her charging pace and turned to face her friend. "It's nothin' against you Twilight, truly. It's just—I don't wanna talk about it."

Before she could turn away, Twilight blinked her magic into effect, appearing on the other side of her friend. "Under one condition. Promise me something, AJ:" she waited for a nod before she continued, "I will not talk about it again, as long as you don't push me away. I want to help you, and if you don't want me to help you directly, as least let me be here for you. Promise?"

Applejack looked into her friend's eyes, and Twilight could swear that those eyes had relief in them. She wasn't sure if the relief came from her acceptance of the situation, or her promise to not leave AJ alone. Yet the longer she looked into them, she noticed something else: the early beginnings of tears. "I promise. Thank you, Twilight."

Just as Twilight reached one hoof up for a short hug, Applejack jumped forward, locking her in an embrace. Twilight couldn't believe how much _heart_ was put into that hug. As she held Applejack in her arms, it seemed as if the poor girl was just on the verge of falling apart, and Twilight was the only thing keeping her together. "Are you sure you're all right, Applejack?" she asked, hesitantly. Applejack was a hugger, this she knew all too well. But this wasn't a normal Applejack hug. This was a 'there's something wrong' Applejack hug.

A sniff came from over her shoulder as Applejack held back a tear. "I'll be fine. I just—you're the best friend a gal could ask for, that's all."

"Applejack!" a voice called from the distance. Immediately, AJ jumped back, distancing herself from her friend. "Uh—I guess we better get goin'." She rubbed her neck awkwardly, her face turning a slight shade of red from embarrassment. Or was it from the tears? Twilight wasn't sure.

Either way, she shyly smiled back. "Let's go."

It wasn't the opening up she was hoping for, but it definitely was progress. Maybe this would work out, after all…

* * *

 _AN: You know how sometimes you start something, and you're like "HOLY COW THIS IS AWESOME!", and then after a few days/weeks, you totally forget about it? Well… I did that with this. I wrote up 95% of it, and then it just kinda *died*… but since I posted the first 3 chapters before my sudden abandonment, I figured I should at least finish it and post it all._

 _So yeah… I'm gonna do that (and update my A/Ns while I'm at it)… I don't really have anything else to say, besides "I'm sorry" to those few who followed this story before I dropped it like a spider-infested donut (no idea where that came from)._


	2. Part 1: Speculations

**Speculations**

Well it definitely wasn't working out. The entire day was, once again, frittered away with Applejack, without so much as a single idea about what was bothering her. Twilight wasn't just concerned, she was also downright curious, now. What in the name of Equestria could have her so troubled, that she practically fell apart right in front of Twilight?

It couldn't be something with her family, as they all seemed to be okay when she first arrived at the farm. They spent the whole day working together, too, and Twilight hadn't noticed a single strange look from anypony. They were Apples—they might not always get along, but they definitely always worked everything out in the end.

But Twilight truly didn't know what else it could be. At first, she thought maybe Spike was right after all: it really _was_ just because Applejack had been busy lately. But with the kind of reaction that the country pony had given her, there was no way that something so simple could cause all of this. It had to be something deeper—something more personal.

Twilight just hoped that Applejack was okay.

"So how'd it go with AJ?" Spike asked as soon as Twilight cleared the doorway. She looked up to see her faithful friend and assistant with a kitchen apron on, stirring something in a mixing bowl absent-mindedly.

Lifting an eye, she only shook her head, dismissing the unspoken question: "I—don't even know. I thought that I had something going, there for a minute, but it's like the minute she was about to open up, she just kind of clammed up all over again. She said that she doesn't want to talk about it, but she also was extremely grateful when I said I wouldn't leave her."

Spike paused a moment, lifting a claw to his chin and tapping it in thought. "Well what if," he began, "she isn't so much as having a problem, as she is just struggling with something? I read in my comic book about one of the Super Ponies—you remember them, right?" he paused, waiting for confirmation.

"We got sucked into a comic book to defeat a pony crazily obsessed with hair-care products. How could I forget?" Twilight teased, a smile playing on the corner of her lips. That was one of her more memorable adventures—though she didn't exactly care to recall the entire act. It was a touch to unsettling to remember that crazy-eyed villain.

"Right. So in one of their latest issues, Filli-Second realizes that her being a super pony makes a lot of other things impossible for her to do. She realizes that she can never really settle down and have a family. She can't create lasting friendships, because she can never be truly honest with them about who she is. She gets depressed about how being so special makes it so she can't be normal. And now that I think about it, she acts kind of like Applejack has been acting lately."

Twilight thought a moment about this new possibility. So Applejack was going through—a mid-life crisis? That was essentially the easiest way to say it. But what in Equestria could she be struggling about? The farm was literally her entire life. She ate, slept, and work at that place, and was immensely proud of it. She showed no signs of stopping, either, as she was in the prime of the season, and was practically boiling over with excitement barely two weeks ago about the prospect of harvesting the entire orchard. You couldn't go from that level of passion to wishing you could do something else in that short of time—it just wasn't possible.

So what else was there?

"I don't know, Spike. What could Applejack be so upset about, that she would wish her life was different? She loves her orchard, and was talking and laughing with her family this morning when I showed up. It can't be either of those…" she listed, looking out the nearby window, where she knew the farm lied just beyond those rolling hills.

"I don't know, but it's something to think about, Twilight." She turned to face the dragon again, who had dipped his claw in the batter, and was currently sucking on it. From the looks of it, he was about to bake a cake of some sort.

"I guess you're right… but I can deal with that later. Do you need any help?" she asked, perking her ears up at the prospect of some "Twilight time" with spike (as the little ones called it).

He snorted, turning to face the kitchen. "Only if you promise not to lecture me on the 'Properties of Kitchen Etiquette', like you did last time."

She rolled her eyes as she followed him through the next doorway. "You were turning the stovetop on seventy-five percent heat when the recipe clearly said 'medium', Spike. It had to be done."

* * *

Two weeks. It had been _two weeks_ , and, despite a growing voice in her mind, reminding her that she still had no idea what was bugging Applejack, Twilight's valiant effort seemed to be paying off. No, Applejack still hadn't spilled her secret, but she did seem to be getting more and more cheerful.

Well—Twilight couldn't say that. Applejack had always been cheerful. She just seemed more… herself. There wasn't any way to describe it—it just seemed like Applejack was inviting Twilight over more out of habit and friendship than for a need of some sort.

Apple Bucking Season was coming to a close, with only a few more days left before the orchard would be completely free of any sort of fruit, and it seemed like perhaps Twilight's work was coming to an end, as well.

Instead of sulking around the library, or perhaps shadowing the stubborn pony, Twilight settled on taking a break. With the attention that she had been paying Applejack, she was admittedly starting to miss the rest of her friends. So when Fluttershy extended the usual invitation for Pet Day, she jumped on it. Sitting in the park, she contentedly watched their pets run throughout the shallow hills and through the pond. It was nice to just take a break from the stresses that had been plaguing her life, lately.

"Has anyone seen AJ around? She was supposed to help me with my routine, but she's disappeared." Rainbow Dash asked, flying up to the group and lounging over a nearby rock. She looked down before picking up and tossing around a small pebble she had found amongst the cracks of the small boulder.

"I saw her yesterday, walking through town. She looked really deep in thought, like something was bothering her. I tried to talk to her, but she didn't even answer me. I suppose she was just too busy, or maybe I wasn't loud enough. That happens, sometimes…" Fluttershy answered, dropping her head at what Twilight only guessed was a bad memory.

Rainbow Dash, with a flick of her hoof, sent the pebble flying away, creating a small splash in the park's rippling pond. "Something is definitely up. I was out flying with Twilight on Monday, and Applejack looked right up at us. I waved at her, but she just kept watching us—or maybe looking right through us."

Twilight sat, listening to the conversation. She remembered that; it was the day before she decided to find out what was wrong with Applejack. She took it for granted, guessing that she was just mentally listing what needed to be done for the remainder of Apple Bucking Season, but now that her friends mentioned it, she realized that AJ really was acting strange. Sure, the invitations and such weren't exactly normal, but now it was spreading to other aspects, and apparently, everyone was finally starting to notice.

"Maybe she needs to smile! I know that _one time_ , I hadn't smiled in so long, that I began to be all _grumpy_ and stuff! I eventually went down to Sugar Cube Corner and got a triple chocolate caramel cookie, and then after that I went and talked to Rarity, and she made me a new dress! And after I ate the cookie and wore the dress, and I went for a walk, and someone told me how pretty I looked, and after that I was really happy."

"Pinkie Pie is right." Rarity stood up, her face turning determined. "We might not know what is wrong with Applejack, but what we do know is that she needs a serious pep-talk. We need to start showing her a little bit of extra attention, just so she knows that we care. Who's with me?"

Fluttershy lifted a hoof. "I'll take her for a picnic, next time I see her. Maybe she'll tell me what's wrong."

"I can throw a _party_! We can have cake, and balloons, and," she quickly gasped, something coming to mind, "and we can have a _piñata_! I love piñatas! All of the candy, and the surprise—"

"Maybe a party isn't a good idea, Pinkie," Twilight quickly stepped in. "We want Applejack to be happy, but maybe a party in her honor is a little bit too… forward."

"Me and Pinkie will take Applejack on a hike. She loves the outdoors, it'll give me a chance to work my wings, and Pinkie can keep her company on the ground," Rainbow Dash intervened, swelling with pride from her idea.

"I can make a new pair of boots for her! I doubt she'll fully appreciate the integrity of my design, but if nothing else, it'll get a smile from her," Rarity pitched in.

"What about you Twilight?" Pinkie Pie spoke up, jumping and down in her excitement. "What are you gonna do?"

She couldn't just tell her friends that she had already talked to Applejack, and she really wasn't up to sharing. She had been spending the last two weeks with Applejack, practically from sunrise to sunset with her, but still to no avail. "I'll try visiting her every once in a while. Maybe she just needs a friend to be around?"

"Sounds great, everypony. I'm sure she'll be back to her old self in no time. At least… I hope so." Fluttershy spoke up before becoming downcast once more.

Rarity placed a hoof on Fluttershy's back. "We all hope so, sweetie."

* * *

"I really don't see why y'all think that I need some special treatment, Twi. Of course I haven't been around town as much as I usually am. Its Apple Buckin' season, and I've just been really stressed out lately. Give me another week, 'n I'll be bright and buckin' before y'all know it." Applejack stuck the shovel in the ground with a small huff before turning to face Twilight, wiping her brow with her hoof.

"I—we just care about you, AJ. I just wanted to give you a heads-up, because knowing our friends, I know that they can get a _little_ out of hand."

Applejack motioned for Twilight to follow as she began to walk toward the fencing of the orchard. She leaned against the railing as she looked over at the Western sunset. "Well I appreciate what your tryin' to do, but y'all really don't have to."

Twilight cocked her head at her friend. "How _are_ you holding up, anyway? You've seemed a lot like yourself than you were before, but when I talked to our friends yesterday, they seemed to tell quite a different story."

Applejack nodded her head, a small smile crossing her face as she looked back at her friend. "I've been doing a lot better. A lot of that is thanks to you, Twilight. I just want ya to know that I'm really grateful for you puttin' up with me over the past few weeks."

Twilight shook her head with a small laugh. "Applejack, of all the words I could use to describe the last three weeks, 'me putting up with them' would not be on that list. I've really enjoyed spending all of this time with you."

Applejack laughed, but the noise made Twilight turn toward her friend. It wasn't Applejack's normal laugh—the normal Applejack Laugh was hearty—it came from her toes, and contained every ounce of her strength. It was one of the defining characteristics of her, as a person. This new laugh—it was more… natural. It was not as forced, and more… the more Twilight thought about it, the clearer the answer was: Twilight just heard Applejack giggle. Before now, she wasn't even sure that Applejack _could_ giggle.

"Is somethin' the matter, hun?" Applejack asked, tilting her head at Twilight's unusual stare. "You're kinda starin'."

Twilight shook her head, shaking the train of thought away, so she could focus on the present. "Sorry. I was just thinking." Applejack wasn't quite satisfied with her answer, so she asked the obvious question: "What about?"

"Well…" If Twilight had learned anything from her friend over the past three weeks, it was the importance of honesty. She learned that if a friend is truly a friend, you can tell them anything. They might not always like it, but they'll never judge you for it. "You just seem different. Not a bad different—and maybe you've always been this way, and I haven't noticed, but you seem—more relaxed. Maybe we've just gotten closer, or maybe it's because you're about to finish up with this tough season, I don't know. There's just something different."

Applejack nodded, looking back out at the sunset. "I know what you're sayin', Twi. I've noticed it too. I'm not quite sure what it is, but all I know is that we aren't quite the same anymore. That—that ain't a bad thing, is it?" she asked, quickly turning back to her friend for confirmation.

Twilight stood there, a moment, thinking of an answer. She honestly didn't know if it was a bad thing or not. Change, of course, was a natural part of life. Ponies evolved over time, their personalities and tastes being fine-tuned through experience and trials. But to change so much in such little time, it probably wasn't healthy. But then again, this change wasn't exactly bad. Applejack seemed happier, on the whole. Yes, the apparent spacing out and not keeping appointments wasn't great, but AJ truly did seem to be happier… Finally, Twilight settled on the only answer she could give: "As long as you're happy, AJ, I think it's great."

* * *

 _A/N: I still don't like this chapter, but the rest of the story gets better, so I'm kind of just dealing with it. Drop a review/favorite/follow if you want. If not, I'll just slink back to my hole of antisocialness, where ginger ale and store-bought cookies give me life. TTYL._


	3. Part 1: Transcendence

**Transcendence**

During the days after, Twilight didn't know what to make of her new mission. She noticed that the strange looks, the zoning-out, and even the sadness just completely melted away for Applejack. It was great—but Twilight wasn't quite satisfied. She wasn't satisfied because she noticed that AJ never returned to her old self. She was different; very… detached. It was as if everything, all of a sudden, didn't really bother her, anymore. She seemed to be happy with this new "normal" for herself, but Twilight didn't know what to make of it. She was pretty sure that she didn't mind… as long as Applejack didn't, but this sudden change just sort of caused her some uneasiness.

"Perhaps she just doesn't want to fight? I mean, Applejack doesn't like fighting, so it makes sense that she just _pretends_ to not care." Fluttershy looked behind her at the pony in question, glancing back over at Twilight, who pondered the idea.

"I don't know. It just seems like there has to be a reason behind a change like this. You've noticed, haven't you? It's kind of obvious…" Twilight whispered, fighting the urge to glance behind her at Applejack.

The six were on the pathway from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's old castle, just finishing up their work for the day. It was quite the jaunt, giving her the time to talk to Fluttershy while Pinkie Pie and Rarity occupied the pony in question. She hated to talk about somepony behind their back, but she felt as if it was for the best, all things considered.

"I… not exactly…" Fluttershy whispered, "I think Applejack is acting fine…"

Twilight couldn't believe that Fluttershy was this blind. Maybe her always seeing the best in everypony just caused her to overlook such a drastic change? In the past four days, all of the girls had gotten together three times—each one for quite a while. It was impossible that Fluttershy just hadn't been around her long enough. It was just that—

"I—is it because of me?" she asked aloud. Perhaps too loud, as Rainbow Dash, who was flying circles a few lengths ahead, turned around at the sound.

"Is what because of who?" she asked, alighting right near the two. The loudness of her voice made Twilight cringe, aware that Applejack was only twenty paces behind the three.

"Shhhh!" Twilight hissed, glancing behind them. She sighed in relief, thankful that Pinkie's current energetic outburst had the two completely captivated. "Rainbow, have you noticed something's wrong with Applejack?" she continued, glancing back at Rainbow Dash.

"Not really," she deadpanned, hopping over a rock on the pathway. "I thought we had already solved all of this? It's kinda last week's news, isn't it? Pinkie and I went on a walk, Rarity made her the boots—remember?"

Fluttershy continued the explanation: "This is a new problem, now. Twilight thinks that Applejack is being dismissive about everything."

Rainbow Dash snorted at that. "Twilight, the only problem around here is that you're obsessed with Applejack." With that, the Pegasus took into the air, continuing her patrol, and leaving a certain pony dumbfounded with the statement.

She wasn't obsessed! There was no way that that was the case! She just cared about one of her best friends; that wasn't being obsessed. And if nopony believed her, that was their own problem, not hers. She _knew_ for a fact that Applejack was acting differently. If she was the only pony that could see it, then she would just have to fix it on her own.

And besides, this was coming from _Rainbow Dash_. Twilight loved the pony, sure, but that specific Pegasus wasn't exactly known for being kind with her words. Now if this was coming from _Fluttershy_? Yeah, she would consider the possibility, but not Rainbow Dash…

"I—I'm not obsessed, am I, Fluttershy?" she asked, glancing over with a defiant look.

Fluttershy visibly froze, not even taking a step. But lingering just long enough to give Twilight pause, her pace resumed, even speeding up just slightly. "I—you're not obsessed. You just—" the words came out slow—calculatedly, "tend to spend a lot of time with her." It was as if each syllable was delivered in order to make the blow on Twilight lighter, but it only worked to do the exact opposite.

Her friends thought that she was obsessed. First of all, Twilight didn't even know what that _meant_. How can you be obsessed with a person? And why was _Twilight_ the one that was obsessed? She was accepting invitations from Applejack—why wasn't _she_ the source of this gossip?

"I am _not_! What about AJ! Do you think she is, too? Or is this all just _my_ fault, all of a sudden?" The words came out louder than they should have, but at this point, Twilight wasn't even concerned with the prospect of the other pony finding out.

Fluttershy flinched at the outburst, freezing in her tracks and not recovering, this time. "I—I—no?" Shaking, the reply came out weakly, but Twilight still wasn't satisfied, as she prepared another question.

"What's goin' on, here?" As the two had stopped, the ponies behind had finally caught up. Applejack tilted her head, a confused face showing. "Somethin' wrong?" The question came, glancing between the two with an uneasy gaze.

"Fluttershy! What did you _do_ to her, Twilight? She's freaking out!" With a comforting hoof, Rainbow Dash draped her arm across Fluttershy's back, shielding her from Twilight "You okay, Flutters?" she asked. The shaking pony only nodded, looking back at Rainbow Dash with a small smile. "I—I'm okay. I'm sorry Twilight, I—I didn't mean to make you mad, it was just the truth."

Twilight froze, looking at her friends, who were all staring at her expectantly. She cowered from their gazes, knowing she had done wrong. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy—everypony. It's just—" a sigh stopped her. "Do you think _I've_ changed?" The words came out before she could stop them. Her reasoning was stretched, but without cause a single statement came to mind, something that may explain everything that was happening now _and_ for the last few months. It was what Spike said:

" _You know, you've been a lot happier since. She helps you wind down and not be so… tense."_

Applejack had been changing Twilight, not the other way around. It wasn't the country pony that had been changing—morphing through this strange experience and coming out a brand new pony—it was her. She was told from almost the _very_ beginning that everything she was accusing Applejack of had been happening to her, and she just dismissed it without so much as a second thought.

"Not going to lie, dear: you have." Rarity cut the silence, lifting a hoof in anticipation. "Lately you've been all—" she waved a hoof in thought before gesturing at the princess, "strange."

Pinkie Pie jumped in: "And you've been talking about _nothing_ but Applejack. It's 'Applejack this' and 'Applejack that'—I mean _come on_. It's like you spend _all of your time_ there…" She paused, a look of realization flashing across her face: "Well actually you kinda do… so I guess that makes sense!"

Applejack stiffened at this, glancing around at the crowd. "Now c'mon, y'all, let's not talk like this. So yeah, maybe Twi has been actin' a little funny, but so have I. I don't think ya can start talkin' like we're crazy jus' cause we've been helpin' each other out for the last few weeks. Ya girls helped me when I came to ya, needing advice about how to help Twilight, and now you just wanna throw 'er on the tracks when she needs us the most?

"Twilight, yeah, you've changed. I asked ya if that was okay a couple of days ago, and even though ya thought I was talkin' about me, I was really talkin' about you. So I'll give ya the same answer ya gave me: as long as you're happy with the new you, I'm completely okay with it."

"…wait—what?" Twilight, no matter how many times she tried to wrap her head around this, couldn't. "You were talking about _me_? You've been trying to _help_ me? But you—the crying! You were crying!" She couldn't even speak coherently as all of the unspoken facts were filtering through her mind.

Applejack giggled (drawing quite the reaction from Rainbow Dash, who visibly flinched) "Yeah, I was. But I told you: I'm as right as rain, now. I have been for over a week. You kept on havin' the girls try to help me, but in truth, I was already talkin' to them about you. On the bright side: I did happen to get a fancy pair 'a boots outta the whole deal. Ain't too bad, if I say so m'self," she said, lifting a hoof and smiling at the shoe while Rarity beamed in the background.

"I—really?" It wasn't believable. It just _wasn't_. If she was going through a change, so be it, but Applejack couldn't have been trying to help _her_. It just wasn't possible. She didn't need help! She was just trying to—

That was the problem: she had no idea what was she was trying to do.

Rainbow Dash shrugged, her hoof still on Fluttershy's back. "Really Twilight, you need to chill, or something. Just take a break for all of this stuff and _breath_."

Even if this was the case, Twilight only had one question that she still couldn't figure out: "So what should I do?"

The exchange of glances told her only one thing: They didn't have the answer.

* * *

Books. Twilight had read a library full of books. She had studied more spells, cultures, histories, and languages than most ponies did in a lifetime. She had been lectured by royalty and famous philosophers, and had _aced_ tests many thought impossible. But now? Now this was her own thoughts and feelings, and every book in her library didn't have the answer.

She sat in just that very place, looking out of the window at the western sunset. She knew her friends were just trying to help after that outburst. She had, just as Rainbow Dash had said, "freaked out". The apology to Fluttershy didn't help, as her friends continued to fuss over her. Even now, she could feel Rarity's eyes burn into her back.

"Are you sure you're okay, darling?" She didn't even turn around at the words, as they were getting repetitive at this point.

"I'm fine, Rarity. I just need time."

The sound of hooves clattering against the wooden floor told Twilight that Rarity was approaching. Once a hoof was on her shoulder, a reply came: "I'm afraid that what I have to say isn't going to help, dear."

Twilight lifted an eye in confusion, as she finally tore herself away from the window: "Continue…"

"As your friend and confidant, I find it is my place to warn you," Rarity moved her hoof, taking Twilight by the shoulders, and staring intently into her friend's eyes. "People are talking, and while I don't know _all_ the details about you two, I am pretty sure the stories _aren't_ true."

"What isn't true?"

Rarity hopped down, running over to close the curtain of the window they were standing right before. "I don't know how to say this… but people have been seeing you and Applejack together quite a bit. They are starting to think that the air between you two has changed."

Twilight nodded. "That's kind of what started the argument yesterday, Rarity."

Rarity shook her head in return. "You don't understand, dear. They are saying that things have moved _beyond_ friendship. To… something more."

Twilight shook her head, deception and confusion racing through her mind. "Yeah. I told Applejack that, and she asked some question that meant something else, and I just—"

"They think you're dating!" Rarity burst out. She immediately covered her mouth with her hooves. A moment later, she removed them, breathing deeply. "I tried to stop the rumors, I really did. But they're just _everywhere_ , and the way you two are carrying on isn't really helping the situation, darling."

Her immediate reaction was explosive: " _What_? Where did they even _get_ that from?"

Rarity only laughed, her expression light, despite the gravity of the situation. "Really? If I didn't know you two, I might have thought the same thing."

Twilight was stunned. She couldn't even think of anything to say in response. Applejack… dating… _her_ … It was so—she hadn't even thought of that… _ever_. Sure they were getting along great; when you spend _weeks_ with someone, that's bound to happen. But _dating_? Sure, she could see how _strangers_ would think that. The way she and Applejack had been acting certainly made it seem that way. But… this was Ponyville: everypony knew everypony around here. How could they think that? Better yet: what should she do about it?

"I—what do I do?" The words came out far later than she had meant them to. After a moment of silence, Rarity grew a soft, sympathetic smile. She placed a hoof on Twilight, turning the gaze of the shocked pony upwards to meet hers. "We'll figure something out, dear. Just—just tell Applejack. That's the best thing you can do. And whatever you do, do _not_ avoid her. That'll make the rumors worse..."

Twilight had no idea what to say—but she had even less of a clue as to what it all meant. This only made her situation worse; it made all of the thoughts racing through her mind increase to near the breaking point.

But further yet: she had no idea where this put her and Applejack. First she was somewhat angry with her for all of the deception the pony had when dealing with this change she was going through. Then she was faced with the reality that she and the pony had been getting closer and closer through the past weeks. Now, she had the news that everypony thought they were dating…

So what should she do? Once again: she had no answers.

And she was pretty sure there wasn't a book for this, either.

* * *

 _AN: Another chapter! I forgot about this chapter, and it turns out I really didn't like this one, either. This one took quite a bit of revising to get it to a point in which the word choice was bearable. I'm not 100% satisfied with it, but it's a lot better than before._

 _Okay, this is the end of the old chapters being replaced. New stuff in the next one! *Fluttershy yay*_

 _I need to quit watching MLP youtube videos…_


	4. Part 1: To Be Broken

**To Be Broken**

No matter what course of action she thought up, nothing sounded exactly perfect. Whether she considered just pretending like Rarity's conversation never happened, or confronting Applejack, telling her the truth, and confessing she was at a loss—everything had a catch. In the end, she was even more confused about everything than she was before she even ran into Rarity.

She ended up making her way to the edge of town, the moon high in the fall sky, the stars seemed to be her only confidants at that moment. She took a deep sigh, resting on the rocks just before the cliff that overlooked the rolling hills of Equestria. Twilight never told anyone, but when she felt like she needed some time alone, she would come out here just to relax and to _think_. Usually it was so she could study in peace, but tonight, Twilight had a lot bigger problems that spells or incantations. She had to think about her reputation, her position as a princess, but more than anything, she had to think about what this would do to Applejack.

"I just wish that I could fix this where no one gets hurt, but I know if I do that, I won't be able to be as close to Applejack as I have been," she thought aloud. "I want to make everyone happy."

"But what about you, Twilight?" a soft voice came from behind her, but as she turned around, she only saw a dark shadow under the veil of a nearby tree. As that form took shape, she saw long, pink hair and soft face: Fluttershy.

The pegasus only smiled at her, stepping nearer, before sitting next to her on the edge of the cliff. "You know… I don't like to follow ponies—but something told me you needed somepony to talk to. You don't mind, do you?"

Twilight nodded, a small sniff and a giggle breaking through her sorrow. "I definitely needed somepony to talk to, Fluttershy. I just—" she sighed, wondering where to even start: "Something was just strange about her. I know there was. And since she wouldn't talk about it, I decided just _being there_ would solve the problem. But then she said _I_ was the pony with the problem? Spike said that I was changing, but I didn't think it was like _that._ But now that was weeks ago, and she seems perfectly fine. I thought that _maybe_ , just maybe… things could go back to normal. But now Rarity says ponies think that something happened between us, and rumors are swirling. I just don't want to tell AJ, because that might put her right back where we started. I just—I'm stuck…"

Fluttershy sat a moment, watching the stars in the distance dance, just as those reflected in her eyes. A small twinkling star shown just over her shoulder as she faced the young princess. A deep sigh, and she spoke: "If I'm going to be completely honest, I think this is just a very large lack of communication."

"You—what?" Twilight was confused. A lack of communication? "You mean we—" Why would there be a lack of communication? Everypony was friends. There wasn't just—Twilight didn't even know.

"Applejack and you—you've been spending so much time with one another that you've managed to, somehow, _not talk_ as much about your feeling as you both usually do. So now you both think that whatever you have to say is going to somehow ruin what you both have."

 _Ruin what we have…_ Twilight thought. But that's _the thing… we're just friends. By opening up to AJ about what others are saying—that's what might ruin our friendship. Not whatever this changing nonsense is about…_ "I don't quite understand, Fluttershy. Why do you think we quit talking in the first place?"

Fluttershy laughed a light, airy laugh. "Twilight, you both came to us, separately, to ask for help for one another—right around the same time. You quit talking… not in general, just about the important stuff. Why? I don't know. I can't quite see into your minds. That requires a magic that I don't quite know. Yet there is a way you can see into each other's… you could just talk to her, you know."

"Talk to her… and just ask her what happened?" Twilight began, her voice turning to confusion as she tried thinking aloud, "I just walk in and ask her why she did all this to me? And tell her why I did all of that to her? Do you think she would even listen? I don't want her to go back to how she was before... She has been happier lately than I have ever seen her. And what about the rumors? If people start talking, she could get hurt."

The pegasus shook her head in reply. "I can't speak for Applejack, but what I do know is that the talk of other ponies doesn't nearly amount to the affection of those close to you. The support from a single friend is worth more than the gossip of a thousand strangers, Twilight. No matter what happens, she'll understand, especially if you two are as close as I think you are."

"Thank you, Flutters," Twilight said, a small smile forming on her face. "I will talk to her as soon as possible, tomorrow morning."

Fluttershy once more shook her head. "I wouldn't wait that long, Twilight. I think we both know that she's probably still awake."

The young pony hesitantly stood up, taking a deep breath. She couldn't quite force her own pressures to fall away, but she was determined. Determined to get this whole situation straightened out in her mind. "You're right. This… it just isn't easy. Thank you again, Flutters."

Without even looking back, she took off in a steady, determined pace toward Sweet Apple Acres. Her hoofs plodding on the cobbled path. How similar of a pace this was to what had happened three weeks before. But how different the situation had been three weeks before, as well. What began as simple concern for her friend was now something that Twilight wasn't even sure existed. Everything was a mess in her mind, and everything was pointing toward a possibility that had too many implications to even consider. But it didn't even matter anymore, because Twilight was going to straighten everything out, starting with the one thing that mattered the most: her relationship with Applejack.

Twilight neared the orchard, and, not even stopping to knock, she entered into the farmhouse. Having attended more than one sleepover in the past three weeks, she shot right up the stairs, taking the second right door in the hall. One more deep breath, she opened the door, striding with a fake confidence into her friend's bedroom. Immediately, Applejack sat up in her bed, wondering who the late-night intruder was. "What 'n tarnation—Twilight? What're you doin' here?" she asked, more surprised than accusing.

"Applejack," Twilight began, lifting her head in a confident air as she began the hardest conversation she had ever tackled, "we need to talk."

She arched an eyebrow in confusion, but patted the edge of her bed, despite her confusion. "I'm listenin', sugar. What's got ya so riled up?"

Twilight wasn't even hesitant about her words, this time, throwing all caution to the wind: "It all started about three weeks ago, I noticed you had been inviting me to a lot more sleepovers, and parties, and just generally being a lot nicer to me than usual. I didn't think much of it, until Spike told me maybe there was a reason why…"

Twilight told her everything, starting with her conversation with Spike, and going forward from there. She even threw in the smallest details, how Rainbow Dash said Applejack was staring at Twilight, and how Fluttershy said Applejack had zoned out, being in deep thought. Her mind was swirling with all of the possibilities, all of the possible explanations Applejack could present to her. Whether she would react with calmness, or if she would even go so far as to throw her out, right then, Twilight was terrified, but in the end, she knew it didn't matter. Because even if Applejack was mad for just a moment, she knew that their friendship would last. Just like Fluttershy said: she would understand.

"And then Fluttershy, she came to talk to me this afternoon, just as I had completely broke down. I didn't know how to fix anything—or even if I really needed to. She told me that… in her opinion… I should just come and talk to you. She said she didn't even know what was wrong—but that if we both came together and just talked… _we could_.

"Applejack, I don't know what any of this means, but _you_ do. I don't care if you tell me you never want to see me again after this, I just need to know. I need to know what was wrong before, I need to know what changed over the past three weeks. I need to know if this is really just all in my head. I need to know why you asked me to all those things, and I need to know what you want to do about these rumors. I need to know if they're true, I need to—"

Applejack giggled once again. Twilight immediately stopped talking, watching her friend visibly _laugh_ at Twilight's rant-like speech. She couldn't even believe it. This was a laugh of _joy_ , not of annoyance, not of anger—just a pure laugh. "Darlin', you got yourself a deal. I'll spill, alright?" she relented, raising her hoofs in defeat. "Let me tell my part of this story, alright? It all started about a month ago:

 **(Four Weeks Ago**

 **Applejack's 3** **rd** **Person POV)**

" _I don't know about this, girls, it seems pretty dangerous…" Fluttershy looked down at the cliff the six friends were standing at the face of. I knew where she was coming from, this thing had to be at least two-hundred feet high, if not even more, but I also knew that if we didn't find a way down there soon, that something really bad could happen._

" _Ah don't really think we got a choice, here, Fluttershy," I pointed out. "Twilight said we gotta get some thingy down there, so we gotta go down."_

 _Rarity interjected, slightly annoyed by such an important artifact taken with so little seriousness. "It's not a_ 'thingy _', Applejack. It's a spellbook written by StarSwirl the Bearded. It has the power to manipulate the past. If anypony gets ahold of it, they could rewrite history."_

" _It's still a 'thingy'," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "It's just a really_ serious _thingy…"_

 _Spike rolled his eyes, being with Rarity on this point. "I don't think that a serious 'thingy' exists. It is either a 'thingy', or it's called… what was it that Twilight said, an 'artifact'?"_

 _Pinkie Pie let out a heavy sigh. "It's a thingy, just not a_ thingy _thingy. A thingy thingy is something that has no other word to describe it, so you just call it a thingy. A thingy is a thingy when you know what it's called, but you can't think of a word to describe it." Despite her logic actually kind of making sense, I just let it go. It seemed as if everyone else did too, as we just kind of sat there, staring at her. "Look, I need a cupcake, and thus this thingy needs to be thingied so I can go get one. What's the plan?"_

 _Rainbow Dash, jumping into the self-proclaimed pony in charge, just stood at the edge of the cliff, but she didn't seem sure, herself. "Fluttershy and I can fly down there, but you other four can't. We could carry you, Spike, but I'm not sure if we're strong enough for everyone else. We could possibly help walk you three down the cliff, but that's dangerous if it doesn't quite work. We could…"_

" _JUMP!" Pinkie Pie shouted, hopping up and down at the edge of the cliff. "There's a pool of water at the bottom! Fly down there and see if it's deep enough!"_

" _Oh dear, this isn't going to end well…" Fluttershy whispered. No one but me heard it, but I agreed wholeheartedly with her._

 _I'm not quite sure what happened after that, all I know is that I am not fit out to follow in my Granny's footsteps with her diving and such. I was the second to jump, which ain't saying much with Rarity being the last one. But after Pinkie jumpin' down, and comin' away fine, I was pretty confident that I'd be okay, too._

 _To be honest, Twilight, the rest of the trip is pretty fuzzy. But all that I remember is that I was the only pony there, and I ended up handin' you this spellbook, thing alone:_

 _I looked right in your eyes, and said: "Here ya are, Twi. I hope this helps." I handed that spellbook to ya, and the smile you gave me just kinda stuck in my head. I couldn't really tell ya why, even right now. It wasn't any special smile. It wasn't different than any other—it was just… you. In your purest form._

 _I still can remember what ya said: "Thank you, Applejack. I really wish I could have been there with you."_

 **(Present Day**

 **Twilight Sparkle's 3** **rd** **Person POV)**

"After that, I just kinda wanted to make ya smile again. Whether it was asking ya over to have a sleepover, or if I just asked ya to be with me when I was workin', it didn't matter. I just wanted to make you happy. But after a while, I realized that it wasn't so much about me makin' you happy… it was you bein' with _me_ that made _me_ happy. At first, I just thought I was just bein' a little crazy, but the longer time went on, the stranger these feelins' got. Eventually I realized somethin', and it shocked me: I wanted to be with ya almost all the time, Twilight. I wanted your attention, and I wanted you to be as happy with me as I was with you.

"And… that's when y'all noticed that I quit bein' myself. That morning that ya came to the farm? I told myself the night before that I wasn't gonna ask ya over again, because I knew that these feelins' weren't right, and that I needed to stop 'em.

"But when ya went on ahead and told me that somethin' was wrong, and you knew it, and you would just _be there_ for me, I honestly cried after ya left. You just bein' so amazin', I couldn't help it. I honestly wanted to be with ya more than ever after that. Because I knew if you were that amazin' and didn't even know what was goin' on, that if you did, it woulda just been perfect.

"But I knew we couldn't be. It took me awhile, but I eventually decided that I would rather be your best friend, then possibly push ya away. I gave up. I wasn't going to risk being happy for a chance to be even happier. We were gonna be together forever. Even if we were just friends. So that's why I kinda started bein' myself again.

"That afternoon where ya told me you noticed that somethin' had changed between us, and that it felt really great? I wasn't lyin' when I said I was talkin' about you. I really did go to our friends, and ask if you were actin' alright. You said I was different—and you were right… but you were actin' different, yourself. You were actin' like… like I was broken, somehow. You kept on tryin' to fix me, and I was worried that you were goin' to somehow break yourself.

"So that afternoon, I asked if you were okay with how I was… because if you were—I knew you wouldn't mind tryin' to fix me for the rest of our lives. Because I'll be honest… if me havin' a mighty big crush on you means that I'm broke… I'm gonna be broke for the rest of my life, Twilight. This crush that I managed to get—it ain't going anywhere anytime soon.

Twilight sat on the edge of Applejack's bed, her eyes wide with shock. Applejack… she had feelings for her? All of this—was because of her? Because she wanted to be around her—wanted to be _with_ her? She had never even thought that _everything_ was because Applejack had feelings for her—sure, the people talking was because of that possibility, but everything for the past month was because of this?

But worse yet—what could she say? She never even thought of the possibility that Applejack did have feelings for her—that was the impossibility in this situation. Now that it was reality…

There definitely wasn't a book for this.

* * *

 _A/N: Well now… I'm awful at cliffhangers, and end up feeling like I just cut the story off at a really bad point, so I'm not going to even pretend like this was a good place to stop… but it is the longest chapter I've posted for this story so far, so I'll just blame it on that._

 _But… yeah! The reason why I stopped here forever was because I had this story going in a really cliché direction that I wasn't happy with, so I rewrote this to make it far less suck-ish. So I blame that…_

 _Totally not that I'm just a lazy piece of garbage. Totally not… *Applejack's lying face*_


	5. Part 1: Blossoming Reality

**Blossoming Reality**

"Applejack…" she breathed the single word out, the shock still registering, as she tried to take the words in. "We—you like me?"

The more and more frequent event of Applejack giggling happened once more: "I hafta admit that I do, Twilight. And… and I know that, odds are, you aren't okay with this. And I accept that. I just hope… I hope we can still be friends."

 _Friends_. Fluttershy said that no matter what, Applejack would be okay with whatever Twilight said. Shouldn't the same be true for her? It took friendship to make sure that, no matter what, at the end of the day, they were still okay. She had to be okay with this—but how could she even begin to say that?

Maybe… maybe she should try using that same tactic that brought her here: to just talk. "Applejack, we've been friends for over three years now. And especially in the last month, we've been spending so much time together." She started slowly, building up her response in her mind. She looked up to see Applejack painted with both fear and acceptance. She placed a hoof on Applejack's own, looking deep into her friend's watering, green eyes. They looked lost—they looked as if she was holding it together, just to look strong. But to be honest? Just like she had said… AJ just looked broken.

"Over the past three years, I've always thought that we all were going to be together forever, just like you said" Twilight continued. She wasn't just trying to drag this out—oh, for Celestia's sake she didn't want this to drag out, at all. But she didn't even know what she was trying to say.

She was trying to work everything out as she spoke—but instead it was only growing more and more tense. She was positive everything that she had learned about Friendship applied here, somehow… she was positive that it was the answer to this, but she still wasn't sure how anything fit together. "I knew that my friends would become my life, and you are the closest out of those friends. You're the best pony I have ever met."

" _All I know is that we aren't quite the same anymore." "That ain't a bad thing, is it?" "As long as you're happy, AJ, I think it's great."_ Twilight thought about those words. She wanted Applejack to be happy. She wanted to be happy, herself, and somehow—somehow them both being together made that happen. But now AJ wanted that to change. She wanted to turn it into something more… Did she want that? "AJ, my friends are my life, and you're the closest pony of all. We have something more than friendship, I've known that for weeks. I just—to this moment, I didn't know what that was."

She took a deep breath, nodding. "But if that 'something more' is this… then I want it more than anything."

Applejack threw her hooves around Twilight, almost crushing the poor princess to death in her arms. She couldn't hold the tears back, any longer, as they poured freely from her emerald eyes. Twilight didn't even care about the force of the embrace. Because as she held her friend in her arms, nothing else seemed to matter. But—were they even friends anymore? She didn't know what they were—but that could be decided later. For now? Only _this_ mattered.

"Thank you." The two words poured out as the country pony continued to hold Twilight in her arms. The relief was audible as the tears suddenly melted away, cutting right into Twilight's heart. Just the idea that her acceptance could mean that much to her; the fear of her rejection could cause so large of an impact… it was the best and worst part of this entire night to Twilight. She wanted to show Applejack that she felt the same way. She wanted to prove to Applejack that yes, this idea was new to her—but they were on the same exact page. She had no idea how, but just the words were a great start:

"Applejack, look at me," she began, pulling away from the still-lingering embrace of Applejack. Once she had her complete attention, she looked into those swirling green eyes, once again. This time, the tears she was holding back were of joy, not of fear, and that made them look all the sweeter, "Starting now, you're my world. For weeks now, I've spent every spare moment with you, and it's been the best four weeks of my life, AJ. All I want is the rest of my life to be that way."

Applejack blinked once, two renegade tears falling from her eyes. After a single, well-fought sniff, she let out one more giggle: "Darlin', trust me: that won't be a problem."

That night, Twilight stayed at Applejack's house. At first, Twilight was worried that things would change. That she would be plummeted into the world of romance—one she had only experienced through novels. But—but it was almost like _nothing_ had changed. They were merely _together_ , talking and laughing, sharing stories and telling tales… and that was enough for her. It was just so strange to Twilight—this entire concept was new, but she was finding that it was just like before—but more...finalized. Growing up, she always assumed she would find some modest castle guard, or a dashing lord of the court to marry, and he would whisk her away and everything would change. But being with her best friend, no matter what anypony else would think—and having everything so familiar? It just made so much more sense to her.

In the end, the two ponies fell asleep on the couch of the farmhouse. Applejack fell first, the emotional rollercoaster she had been through exhausted her—or at least, that's the conclusion Twilight came to. Her long, blonde mane flowed over Twilight's back hooves, as she rested her head on the young princess' lap. Hesitating only a moment, Twilight took her hoof and ran it through the single, long ponytail, held in place with a small, red band. The only response she got was a happy sigh from the country pony.

The last thought Twilight had was that the girl in her lap looked like an angel.

* * *

The next day found Twilight in a very... surreal mood. The events of the previous day collided with her as soon as she woke up. Applejack was still fast asleep on her lap, though it was already later in the morning. The sun shone through the nearby window, and the sounds of the farm and its three workers created a vivid backdrop for the strange situation.

Looking down at her angel, Twilight once more ran a hoof down the long blonde hair. The emotions of the previous night were still fresh in her mind, being cause to stop and reevaluate herself.

Everything that had happened last night-everything that had happened in the past month—had created so many distractions and changes in her life that she hardly even recognized what normal was anymore. Rumors and hardships, discovering feelings about herself and her friend, but most of all she gained somepony beyond anything she had ever imagined. Though it scared her to know how fast her life had changed, and though she knew the future would be tough, especially because of the ponies that were spreading the rumors, with the present being what it was, she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Mornin', Twilight..." the lazy, stumbling words brought her from her thoughts, and it was only then that she realized she had been running her hoof through Applejack's mane, apparently waking her up. Looking down, the barely conscious pony merely continued to lie there, staring up at her with a small smile. "We kinda fell asleep, huh?"

Twilight smiled down at her, ruffling up her hair. "Just a little, AJ. Sleep well?"

"Better than ever, Darlin', better than ever. And how about you?"

She gave a small laugh, "Same. We slept in pretty late, though, do you think that your family needs help?" Applejack turned at those words, glancing out of the nearby window at the high, eastern sun.

"Normally, I'd say 'yes', Twi. But it ain't Apple Buckin' season no more, so there ain't much to do. Plus," she smiled, sitting up from Twilight's lap, "today's kinda a special day, don't ya think? We need to just enjoy ourselves."

Twilight wasn't quite sure what she meant by those words, but she had a feeling that it was going to be pretty wonderful.

* * *

The woods—they were in the woods. The Everfree forest, to be exact. Twilight gingerly stepped on top of a fallen tree's truck, then hopped off of it, landing on a small twig, snapping it in two. Meanwhile, Applejack was expertly weaving through the scene, jumping from rock to rock, always glancing behind her. Twilight had a feeling she was slowing AJ down, but she also knew that AJ was one of the most patient ponies in Ponyville. And with the small smile she was being repeatedly casted, she had a feeling that simply watching her was satisfaction enough. "I know that you're enjoying my struggle, here, AJ… but where are we going?"

Applejack gave a small giggle, blushing as she was caught. Twilight noticed that this laugh was occurring more. It wasn't a hearty, forced laugh—though Twilight was just as in love with that one, as well—this one was natural. Applejack was laughing more and more as Twilight spent time with her. It was as if she was finally herself again.

"Well as true as that may be, I ain't gonna tell ya where we're going, Twilight. I want it to be a surprise!" Again, that was all that she had gotten. This was probably the fourth time that Twilight had asked, yet there was still no answer from the country pony. Twilight was just wondering exactly how far away they were going, as they had been walking for _quite_ a while. It would take them far into the afternoon to get back, at this pace…

"Just trust me, hon: you're gonna love it. We're almost there, alright?"

Twilight stepped into what she assumed was a small puddle, until her hoof sunk down into the mud, caking her entire leg. Picking it up and shaking the mud off, she glanced up at Applejack: "If you say so, AJ."

Through ten more minutes of forest, Twilight was getting more and more tired of this place. It was definitely interesting, and any other day, she would love to study some of the plant life that grew in this deep underbrush, but for the moment? It seemed unnecessarily dirty. Just as she was about to ask for the fifth time if she could take a breather, she saw a clearing in the distance. Though barely visible from between two trees, she was certain that this was their destination. Applejack looked behind once more, and then nodding with a small smile. "Yup, that's it, Sugar Cube. C'mon!" She picked up the pace, trotting the rest of the way. Twilight had to sprint for a moment, catching up to her. By the time the two got to the clearing, she was almost out of breath, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the trot, or if it was because of the landscape before her.

A large natural spring erupted at the top of a cliff, its water flowing freely down, crashing down into a large pool at the bottom. The water then flowed into a small stream, bee-lining its way through the clearing, disappearing into the far trees. Flowers grew along its bank, feeding off of the rich liquid growing just near them. Rich reds and blues, even oranges and yellows created the entire prism of colors, each individual looking brighter than the last. Twilight wondered how she had never seen this place before, the beauty leaving her at a loss for any other words.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The words came out, soft and slow from the pony next to her, bringing Twilight back to reality. "My folks used to bring me here at the very beginning of summer. The flowers would just be bloomin', their scent bathing this entire place. But then they'd bring me here right at fall, just around this time 'a year, where the summer flowers already had bloomed, and the fall flowers were at the tail end 'a their season. The trees around here, their oranges and yellows make this place look alive yet dead at the same time. I bring Applebloom here sometimes. It's kinda a tradition for the family. I—I hope ya like it, Twilight."

"It's beautiful, AJ." To be considered family—to partake in such a rare tradition, Twilight couldn't even fathom the trust that Applejack placed in her. It was a huge honor. It was… beyond words.

Twilight slowly approached AJ's side, looking out at the forest meadow. She watched in silence, listening to the sounds of the forest around her, until—without warning—AJ nestled her muzzle into Twilight, just above her shoulder, before taking a deep breath. Twilight only shivered as she felt the warm breath spread all the way down her left side, seeming to bury itself in her coat's fur.

This whole moment, Twilight could barely believe it was even real. Being in this wonderful place, having her best friend and her whole world here before her—it was something that, only weeks ago, she would never have believed possible.

It was just everything about it: the scenery, the smell and feel of Applejack as the country pony pressed into her neck, the sound of the water crashing down the cliff before them, the taste of the crisp autumn air… every single one of her senses was being overwhelmed. "I'm glad you like it, sweetheart," was Applejack's first response.

"Sweetheart…" Twilight whispered, stepping away to look at Applejack. "You've never called me Sweetheart before." The fact was said simply, as if it was the time of day. Twilight liked the name—she wouldn't lie, she liked any signs of affection from Applejack—but this was seemed unusually special, for some reason.

Applejack froze, her eyes growing wide in shock. Twilight didn't mean it like that—she only meant that it was different—it was new. It definitely wasn't a bad thing, by any means, but apparently Applejack didn't think of it that way. She was about to speak to calm Applejack down, but before she spoke, AJ beat her to the punch: "I'm sorry, Twi, I didn't think it was—I can stop if you want, I—"

"Applejack, I _like_ it. You don't have to apologize… sweetheart." She said, a smile teasing the corners of her mouth.

Applejack smiled, using a hoof to scratch the back of her neck. "I… uh—I'm sorry, I just don't really know how to act, yet. This is all so new to me…"

Twilight giggled a moment. "You and me both, Applejack." She watched her girlfriend for a moment, tilting her head in thought. "You know—over the years, you haven't really had a _special somepony_. Who did you have before I got here?" she asked simply. There _had_ to be somepony… Applejack was beautiful, strong, smart, and pretty funny, to top it all off. She had even attracted a few ponies over the years, just of her being there—yet never accepted the affection. Was there a reason?

Applejack smiled, shaking her head at the question. "I've only really had one or two ponies in my whole life, Twi. Back when I was younger, there was a little colt named Midnight. He was really nice, but we kinda mutually decided it wasn't gonna work a few months after we started courtin'. After that, I had a few suitors come knockin' on my door at the farm, but I always sent 'em away. I didn't wanna bother with all of that, anymore. I just decided that the farm was gonna be my life."

Twilight nodded. It made sense, she knew that Applejack thought that: the farm was her life. It was just her ideal: work before play. But now? Now she hoped that Applejack thought differently—because Twilight considered Applejack her life, now. That was a relationship, wasn't it? You were supposed to dedicate your whole life to your partner. That was what her parents said when they taught her about relationships…

"But what about you, Sugar? You've had to get quite a few little ponies after ya, haven't you?" she asked, nudging Twilight lightly with a single hoof.

She laughed, vehemently shaking her head. "Yeah, right, AJ. Growing up, I was entirely too wrapped up in my books to even properly treat my friends. I didn't think about anything social until I moved here. I haven't really ever had _anypony_ before."

"Not a single pony?" she asked, disbelieving.

Twilight shrugged. "Not a single one. I wanted to finish up my studies before I even thought about things like that. I ended up being so distracted that once I got here, I didn't know where to start even if I did want to have a special pony. In fact—I was kind of scared last night, to be honest. I don't know anything about this, AJ. And I just want to do this right… but I don't know what to expect."

"You? Scared?" She shook her head at this, "I don't believe it for a single minute."

"I've read thousands of books, Applejack. I've written spells, studied under the brightest ponies in the kingdom, have had private lectures by dozens of famous philosophers and teachers, and have tackled tests and problems many ponies thought impossible. But do you know one thing that I have never read a book or been lectured on? Relationships.

"My whole life, AJ, relationships have been something in novels and works of fiction. I have watched plays where daring princes sweep princesses off of their hooves. I have read books where lowly servants have won the hearts of their masters, and where rich ponies in disguise have secretly went undercover to make sure their suitors' feelings are true love. But—nothing I've ever read has been _real_. Does that even make sense?"

Applejack nodding. "I know what yer sayin', Twilight. The closest I ever came 't seein' true love is from my folks, and… I don't really remember much of it. They met when my mama went to Manehatten—my papa was visitin' family, up there. They met at the market, and it was young pony love, as they say. They had a mighty quick fling, and then they decided to get married."

Married. They got married. For the first time, Twilight had a thought: the purpose of dating was to find an appropriate spouse. Dating led to marriage—she was dating Applejack. So she was, in all reality, seeing if Applejack was appropriate to marry. Did—did she want to marry Applejack? She honestly had no idea. She didn't even know that she _liked_ girls a month ago. To be honest she was still having a hard time wrapping her head around if she did, now.

"Married…" was all that she said aloud. "Do you think your parents would have approved of me?" The follow-up came suddenly, the words escaping before she even thought of them.

Applejack suddenly frowned, her entire countenance falling. "Listen, Twi. I—" she paused again, rethinking her words. "They weren't exactly…" and another moment of silence: "You gotta realize I was raised on a farm, Twi. My Papa was raised pretty old-fashioned. Both of my folks raised us that some things just ain't right, and one of those things was marriage between two mares. It's just kinda how it worked out."

Twilight didn't even know what to say. She had just assumed, with Applejack having those feelings about her, that her family would have understood.

"I see… does that bother you, AJ?" she asked, glancing over at Applejack.

The country pony shrugged at that, kicking a rock into the pool a few meters away. "I don't know. I feel like I'm kinda lettin' 'em down, sometimes. But then I realize that if I'm happy, it don't matter what my parents thought. They were my folks, and I respect their opinion, but I'm my own pony. Does _that_ make any sense?"

Twilight nodded, smiling at the words. "I completely understand. I'm sorry about bringing up those bad memories. I didn't mean to. I just—that's kinda an important thing to know, isn't it?"

"Its fine, Sugar. It's hard to talk about, but I know that it had to be said, eventually." Twilight still wasn't completely convinced by her words, but she decided to let it slide.

Her parents accepted this kind of relationship, so she wasn't even sure _how_ Applejack must have felt... Her brother was a supporter, as well, though he was married to a mare, himself. It was just a fact when she grew up: love was love. It didn't matter who the ponies were.

If you loved someone, then how can it be a bad thing?

* * *

 _A/N: Holy. Cow. Huge update, but apparently I can't write a scene that is less than 2500 words, so enjoy this monstrous update. I dunno. The last scene was actually a really late addition to the story, but in all reality, I really liked it. It was really pretty to write (never used that specific adjective like that before, but I can't think of anything else to describe it)._

 _Okay. There's only actually one more chapter until we get to FlutterDash fun times (The ending for this comes sooner than you think, because I originally planned on making each relationship showed from both perspectives [still might, if I get any reviews… writing for a silent audience sucks, so I have no motivation])._

 _I'm excited… FlutterDash shall be GLORIOUS. (Seriously, part 2 is 10000x better than part 1, in my opinion) Okay! Peace out! This A/N is getting too long._


	6. Part 1: A Brand New Study

**A Brand New Study**

"I don't know, Twi, I see what you're sayin', but like ya said, people are already talkin'… do ya really wanna risk it? It'll just get worse, knowing some ponies in this town."

Twilight shook her head at that. She was trying to convince Applejack to tell their friends about… recent developments. But it seemed that they weren't _quite_ on the same page. She was confident, however, that it would just take a little bit of persuasion. Just… maybe a little bit of _stern_ persuasion.

"Applejack, I told you, you're my world now. I won't resort to secret meetings or forbidden romance. If we're going to do this, I want to do it _proudly_. I want people to know who I'm with, and that I wouldn't have it any other way. I want people to know that I don't care what they think, because you make me the happiest pony in Equestria. And if I'm with you, nothing else matters."

Applejack lowered her head, shaking it in return. "I'm not sayin' that I ain't proud, Twilight. I'm more than happy to call you mine. I'm just—well, to be honest? I'm worried about Dash."

Twilight frowned, the prospect finally hitting her square in the face. Rainbow Dash… she wasn't exactly the most soft-spoken pony, and she had to admit: of all of their friends, she _would_ be the most likely to voice her disapproval, if any of them even _did_ disapprove… "Well… if Rainbow Dash _is_ our friend—which she is—wouldn't she at least respect our decision? I mean, she can disagree all she wants—but we're our own ponies, right?"

Applejack nodded. "I know she _should_. But what one _should_ , and what one _could_ ain't the same thing. I just—I don't wanna lose any of my friends. I know that it shouldn't bother me, because now that you're with me, ain't much, honestly, going to… but I've known her ever since I was a youngin'." She sighed, slowly getting up. "But I'm doin' this. You're my life. And if anything is gonna happen, I'd face it a billion times for you, Sweetheart."

She nodded, taking Applejack in her hooves for a quick hug. "Let's go."

Applejack took a single deep breath, but stopped after only one step. She turned, the nervousness visible on her face. It seemed that even the fearless Applejack wasn't quite so confident. "You'll be right next to me, right?"

Twilight nodded once, a supportive smile accompanying the words: "Of course."

Twilight knew that people were staring at the couple as they walked down the street, but to be honest, she didn't even care. She leaned her head against Applejack's own as they approached their usual Wednesday (and thus, Pet Day) meeting place: the park.

She glanced over at Applejack's face, and, expecting to see some sort of nervousness, apprehension, or even plain _embarrassment_ , all she found was a look of determination. It seemed that, in the end, Applejack was a lot more self-conscious then she first took her, for. "Are you okay?" Twilight asked, just to be sure.

Applejack smiled, looking over at her new girlfriend. "I'm fine, Sweetheart. I'm sorry about being a little stubborn about these things. I just—it's different. I've never had to worry about being different. My whole life, I've been the pony that everypony loves. I've been dependable… the go-to pony, so to speak. And now I have somethin' in my life that is going to, let's face it, get me some enemies. It's just… weird, knowing I ain't so perfect, anymore. Y'know?"

Twilight nodded. "Completely understandable, AJ."

The rest of the walk was spent in companionable silence, with both of them keeping each other company without saying a single word. Twilight was beginning to think that this was what a relationship was: when you couldn't be happy when you were away from the person, but when you were together—that was enough, on its own.

By this time, the couple had already approached the park. Twilight set a brisk, purposeful pace, but Applejack lagged behind, just a little bit. Her nerves were coming back, Twilight was sure of it. "C'mon, AJ. I promise, it'll be fine." The words reached her, but Twilight wasn't sure how effective they were, as she didn't even look up when they were spoken.

"Twilight, Applejack!" The two names were shouted in a high-pitched squeal, its owner none other than Pinkie Pie. She jumped up and down at the sight of her two friends.

"How goes it?" Rainbow Dash asked, nonchalantly. She briefly looked up from her newest obsession, a Daring-Do book, simply to acknowledge the two.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash," Applejack answered, nodding in return to each of them.

"Uh-oh, something is off, isn't it?" Rarity dead-panned, looking between the two of them.

Fluttershy simply looked between Rarity and the two newcomers, doubtlessly gauging the situation, based on their previous talk.

"I guess you could say that, but it's not exactly anything 'off'…" Applejack started, her voice dropping a little at the end.

"Alright, who did it?" Rainbow Dash asked, setting her book down after the serious tones caught her attention.

Twilight set a single hoof on Applejack's, showing she was right next to her girlfriend. The support gave Applejack the strength she needed, and after a brief smile to the girl next to her, she simply said it: "Rarity told Twi that people are talking about us datin'. It really made us realize that we had to make a choice on what we exactly were to each other."

Twilight spoke up, knowing she couldn't let Applejack do this on her own: "We sat down, had a really long talk about what brought us to this part of our lives, and where we wanted our relationship to go."

Applejack stepped in, once more: "We decided that we _really do_ want to be together that way. So—" she took one last glance over at Twilight, but this time, she wasn't looking so determined or nervous anymore… she just looked… relieved, "we're dating."

Fluttershy squealed with delight, no able to contain her enthusiasm, anymore. "I knew it! I'm so happy for you girls!" the shy pony stopped all of a sudden, catching herself. "I—umm—congratulations, you two."

Pinkie Pie matched her enthusiasm, jumping up and rushing over to hug the couple with all of her might. "That's so _great_! We need to celebrate! And I know just how… with a _party_!" she squealed. She was just about to continue on about it before she was interrupted by Rarity: "I don't want to spoil the moment, because I _am_ happy for you, but don't you realize, Twilight: you are a _princess_. Your personal life isn't exactly… personal. Do you—both of you—really want this?"

Rainbow Dash stepped in, giving her own two cents in: "Rarity, why should they care what other people think? Half the people in Ponyville wouldn't even approve. They obviously realized that, going into this, some people wouldn't like it. But, I gotta say, you two, I definitely didn't see it coming. But now that you're together, I could definitely see this working out. Congrats!"

Rarity stood there, looking a little upset, but more at herself than her two friends. "You're right, Rainbow Dash. I truly am happy for you two, I'm sorry for the sour welcoming. I just really care about you both."

Applejack shook her head. "I know ya do, Rarity. To be honest, I was more worried about Rainbow Dash not liking it, more than anyone else. Y'all are my friends, and what you girls think means more to me than anypony else."

Rainbow Dash flew in the air above Applejack, feigning offense. " _What_! _Me_? _Why_!"

Twilight laughed, "You have to admit, Rainbow, you aren't the most soft-spoken pony."

"Hey," she began, landing next to Twilight, "I have a philosophy: if something—or more specifically some _pony_ —makes you happy, it doesn't matter what anypony else thinks. You're entitled to your own happiness, and as long as that happiness doesn't hurt anypony else, it's perfectly okay. And last time I checked, two girls dating each other doesn't really hurt anypony else."

Fluttershy tilted her head in thought. "Rainbow Dash—that was _beautiful_! Did you just make that up?"

Rainbow Dash smiled a little, rubbing Fluttershy's head with a single hoof. "Hey, just because I'm the most awesomest sports pony doesn't mean I don't have a soft side."

Twilight looked over at Applejack while the rest of their friends were harassing Rainbow Dash for her last comment. No matter how long she stared, she could never let go of how lucky she felt at that moment. Applejack was there, amongst all of their friends, and, despite all of the changes in the previous four weeks—specifically since the previous day—everypony seemed really okay with it.

She guessed that this was real friendship. Before, she just kind of took friendship as a group of people who were really kind to her, and would help her with a problem if she needed it. But now? It seemed that she understood a whole new kind of magic inside of friendship: accepting people, no matter who they are, and what they believe.

* * *

It was, in all reality, her first free moment away from Applejack. Twilight couldn't believe it, one whole week had passed, and despite what she feared, the "newness" hadn't left. She was afraid that after a while, being with Applejack would just feel "right", and she would just kind of accept it as part of her life. But surprisingly, the longer she was with Applejack, the more she learned about the country pony, and more she was just _captivated_ by her. Twilight had assumed that after knowing somepony for three years; that she would just _know_ Applejack, inside and out. But she was learning new things _every day_.

It wasn't so much the big things. Those, Twilight already knew. She knew that Applejack had a journal she kept, where she wrote to her parents, though they would never be able to read it. She knew Applejack had never went to bed without taking one last walk through the orchard, no matter how tired she was, just to ensure everything was okay. She knew Applejack had the tell where she couldn't look people in eye if she wasn't telling the truth. Those were big things that all of her friends knew.

It was the small things that made her Applejack: the way she carefully tred around the fallen apples in the Orchard, so the deer and the fruit bats could have their meal. The way she instinctively wrapped her hooves around whatever was just in front of her whenever she slept. The way she wore her hair down when she knew no one else would be around the farm that day—it was those moments, those small things that she was always discovering about her girlfriend. And that just made their relationship all the sweeter.

 _Dear Journal,_

 _Today I learned something really important about Friendship. Today I learned why a relationship—whether with a friend, a family member, or somepony close to you—is something that will last forever: it is because there is so much to learn about each pony, so much that makes that pony so unique, that exploring every facet will take a lifetime._

 _A friendship can last forever because the more you learn about somepony, the closer you become to them. And the closer you get to somepony, the more you learn. It is this cycle that brings you so close to somepony, that before you know it, you are so close that you couldn't imagine your life without them._

 _Maybe, someday, you'll think you know everything there is about somepony. You think that you'll have their entire being memorized. But if you look closely, listen to the way they speak their words, watch how they move when they do their daily routine—you'll find that there is so much to each one of us, that we will never know somepony more than they know themselves._

 _Yours Forever,  
Twilight Sparkle_

She set the quill back into the bottle of ink, re-reading the message she had penned into their journal. This cycle she had created in her mind was something that every pony went through with everyone in their lives. But with Applejack, it just seemed so much more _real_. She couldn't explain it, and if she tried, she would probably end up making it sound sappy or foolish, but she knew it was true. It was just another mystery she would unfurl in her future with Applejack.

And that would be the sweetest study into friendship that she had yet to begin.

* * *

 _A/N: Well here we are: the end of Part 1. I hope you all really enjoyed it! I'm going to be uploading Part 2, Chapter 1 in around 24 hours, so I do hope you all stick around for FlutterDash awesomeness! It's at least 20% cooler (see what I did there? :P ). But no, really... it's a lot better than this part, in my opinion..._

 _Okay! Hope you all have a fantastic day! Drop me a review if you see anything you like! (And if you want a part 2 to this relationship. If that's something you want, I'd love to to write it, but only if I have prospective readers...)_


	7. Part 2: Dancing To A Different Beat

**Dancing to a Different Beat**

"There's gonna be balloons and cake," Sweetie Belle started.

"Music and games," Scootaloo added.

"And we even got a DJ for the dance!" Apple Bloom shouted, her eyes bright with excitement from the prospect of this upcoming event.

Pinkie Pie jumped around in a large circle, her excitement coming from the contagious children. "This is gonna be super _awesome_! It's been forever since I just _went_ to a party! Usually I have to throw them…"

Rarity bristled at that. "It's not a _party_ , Pinkie Pie, it's a _dance_. There is a _very_ large difference."

"So what? If a place has free food and awesome games, I'm there!" Rainbow Dash shouted, flying in a tight circle. What could top that? A night of jamming out, free food, awesome games… it was unbeatable.

"Now hold on, there, Rainbow. The difference between a party and a dance is that a dance requires ya have a _date_. Sure, you can go on your own, but ya might miss out on a couple of games, and the dancin' might make it a 'lil awkward for ya," Applejack chimed in.

Twilight simply sat there, looking over at Applejack, probably geeking out about the fact this was their first dance, or something sappy like that. Rainbow couldn't be sure with them, anymore. It was like— _Wait._ A _date?_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I have to get a _date_?" Rainbow Dash asked, her enthusiasm quickly dying out. "But the dance is in _three days_! How am I supposed to scrounge up a pony _that fast_?"

"Don't worry, Rainbow. I'm sure you'll find somepony. You always do." Twilight reassured, actually taking her eyes off of her girlfriend for the first time in what seemed like forever.

* * *

 _This is nuts! I'm never going to be able to find a date in two days. What am I supposed to do? Just ask the first pony I see if they wanna go, just so I don't look so lame?_ Rainbow Dash was a loss at this point. Dropping the bomb of a dance in two days was not exactly the coolest thing somepony could have done at that point. Usually when a dance was announced, Rainbow Dash had quite a bit of time—like a week or more—to drag a fan of hers out to the park, show off a few of her latest flying moves, and as an afterthought, ask them to whatever the latest social gathering was. But in two days—she'd have to get right on it. And since she had been so preoccupied with all of Twilight Sparkle's latest antics, she hadn't been exactly showing off as much as usual, lately.

After the pint-sizes had pitched their latest scheme (apparently "party planner" was their suspected destiny, Rainbow Dash assumed), Rainbow really wondered whether she should just _not go_. Now that Twilight and AJ had started dating, she really wasn't feeling up to going to the show on her own. Going stag right after two of your best friends hit it off? That just had "loser" written all over it.

Now that everyone else had dispersed, doubtlessly to go ask that special somepony they had in mind out to the dance, Rainbow Dash just flew up to the nearest, fluffy cloud, collapsing on it with a small 'huff'. "What am I talking about?" She began, trying to shake herself out of this slump. "I'm Rainbow Dash _, the coolest pony in Ponyville_. I'll get a date. Somepony _has_ to ask me out."

Everything would work out, she was _sure_ of it. Besides, who wouldn't want to go to the dance with a legend?

* * *

Apparently no one wanted to go to the dance with a legend. It had been a whole day—24 hours—and not a _single pony_ had even _mentioned_ the dance to Rainbow Dash. It was like everypony had already paired up, and she was the odd-pony out. Everywhere she went, there were ponies preparing for— despite it being thrown by three little munchkins—what was shaping up to be the biggest dance of the season. They had even rented out _the ballroom_ in Twilight's castle. There was talk of even Princess Cadence and Twilight's brother, Shining Armor, coming out of the Crystal Empire, for heck's sake!

 _So much for it not being a big deal…_ Rainbow thought, kicking a hoof through the cloud she had perched on. Looking down at the small town, she wondered how long, exactly, she had been so—alone. _I had that one stallion—what was his name? Neon something... Oh what am I talking about? It's been so long, I can't even remember the guy's name_ …

The thoughts brought her further and further down, until she couldn't take it anymore. She took off into the late afternoon sky. She didn't have a direction, or a destination—just an objective: get her mind off of how much her life _sucked_ , at that point.

As per her usual, she scanned the sky, then the ground, then back up to the sky again. Twilight and Applejack, sitting on the rolling hills of Sweet Apple Acres—Rainbow Dash practically gagged at how mushy their conversation was; Fluttershy, walking along the path from the park to her cottage, keeping Angel the bunny company—Rainbow Dash knew Fluttershy probably wouldn't even attend the dance, there being ponies there and what-not; and then there was Big Mac, walking along with his 'special somepony', Cherilee. There were couples out, and those who just wanted to be left alone—and then there was Rainbow Dash, who was neither…

Or maybe she really just wanted to be both, in some weird way. She wanted to have somepony, but she wanted that pony to realize she was her own entity—she had her own agenda, and her own dreams. She wanted to be free, not held back, but when she was ready to come home—to have somepony there waiting for her. There weren't too many ponies in Ponyville who would fit that bill.

Rainbow Dash, as much as she hated to admit it, needed help. She _had_ to get a date to the dance. And with all of these ponies paring up, she just couldn't think through this one on her own. She needed somepony who wouldn't make a big deal about it, who wouldn't do something ridiculous. Somepony who wouldn't go telling all of Equestria... She needed somepony who wouldn't judge, because they could relate to wanting to be left alone, in a weird way. She needed somepony who would give her as much time as she needed, wouldn't push, but would just hear her out…

 _Oh my gosh… I need advice from_ Fluttershy _?_ She thought, wondering if she had finally lost it. _I must be desperate. Or nuts…. Probably both, at this point._

Performing a quick U-turn, flawless as always, she raced back to where she had last seen the strawberry-maned pony only a tad further up the path then she had been previously. Making a slow dive—not wanting to scare the poor gal—she flew gently to Fluttershy's side, landing only a few feet to the left of her. "Hey, Fluttershy!" she welcomed, slowing down to match the wandering girl's stride.

"Hi, Rainbow Dash! Enjoying the quiet evening air, too?" she asked, looking toward the western horizon and watching the myriad of colors swirl against the dimming evening sky.

Rainbow looked over at the distant mountains before pausing, wondering what in Tartarus she was supposed to be looking at. They were rocks. Shining, orange-y rocks… but still just rocks. "Something like that…" she answered. She turned back to face Fluttershy before continuing: "I just came here for… advice, I guess?" she fumbled, struggling to find the words to fit this situation. She was _Rainbow Dash_ , she wasn't used to asking for help! This was, like, the second time _ever_ … and hopefully the last.

Fluttershy stopped, turning to face her friend, a lot of concern etched on her face. "Oh my goodness, this sounds serious. What is it?"

The usually fearless mare kicked at the dirt on the path, unsure of exactly how to phrase this: "I—uh—we're friends, right? And whatever I say—it stays between us?" she asked, seeking confirmation.

"Of course, Dashie. You can trust me with _anything_. If it needs to stay a secret, I won't tell a soul. And neither will Angel, right?" she asked, looking down at the little rabbit, who merely crossed its arms, tapping its foot in annoyance with this whole ordeal.

Rainbow Dash shook her head at the small rabbit. "Anyways, its… about the dance. I kinda don't know what to do."

"Okay, what exactly is the problem, Dashie? Did two people ask you to it, and now you have to decide?" she guessed, probably assuming Rainbow had a list of people that had asked her out. She wasn't the only pony who thought that would be the case by now. But apparently, her awesomeness made everypony assume she was already taken.

"That's just the problem, Fluttershy. The dance is the day after tomorrow, and _no pony_ has asked me out, yet. I just am worried that no one will ask me, and then I'll go to the dance _alone_. Do you know how _weird_ that'd be?"

Fluttershy looked at her, her head tilted in confusion. "I thought you went to dances all the time alone? You've been the life of the party at every gathering I've seen you in, whether you went alone or with your old boyfriend… what was his name, again?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged, "Couldn't tell ya, but that's not important. _This_ dance is different, Fluttershy. Now that Twilight and AJ are dating, going alone isn't an option anymore. Once your best friends get hooked up, you have to, too. Otherwise you just look _weird_. It's the _golden rule_!"

"I…don't know about _that_ , Dashie. Why don't you just go with one of our friends? You could just go as friends, and you won't have to worry about finding someone. That's what Pinkie Pie and I are doing," She stated proudly.

 _So that's why none of our friends are talking about it… I bet you Rarity is going with that weird journalist guy that is back in town, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy played the "go as friends" card before I could get to either of them, and the last two are going as girlfriends. Odd pony out? Once again, yours truly_. "Well—got any available stallions who need a date at the last minute? Otherwise I'm staying home."

Fluttershy gasped, as if this was the worst news she had heard all day. "You can't do that! This means a lot to the girls. If you don't go, do you know how crushed Scootaloo would be? She's been working extra hard on this party just to impress you."

Rainbow Dash groaned with a roll of her eyes. That little superstar of a munchkin was probably the coolest kid ever, yet she somehow managed to make Rainbow Dash's life awesome, _and torture_ , at regular intervals. If Scootaloo was going out of her way to impress her, she definitely had to show up. What kind of an example of loyalty was a mentor setting if she bailed on her own student? "Fine, I'll just go alone. But I'm not staying long!" she retorted. She turned to fly away when she heard Fluttershy call after her.

"Rainbow Dash, _wait_!" the small voice cried. It resounded again, though Rainbow Dash turn to face it. She didn't care. She wanted to just be alone, right now.

"Just leave me alone! I should never have even brought it up! Oh, what am I talking about… it's not like _you_ even care. _You_ found somepony to go with."

Flying high, far from any other pony, Rainbow Dash curled up on a large, heavy cloud. Once she touched it, the billowing mist turned dark and foreboding, swirling with the negative thoughts that echoed in Rainbow Dash's mind. She didn't care. She didn't care about anything, at that moment. What did it matter? A little storm wasn't going to harm anyone. There wasn't even anypony around. They were too busy getting ready for the dance.

This party was going to be a really huge bummer…

* * *

 _A/N: So College sucks… but this story is here, and despite it being a lot later than I wanted, I did get it up, eventually. I wanted to definitely get it up before the weekend, and so here it is! Enjoy! Part 2 is about as long as part one, so expect around 5 more chapters. And seriously: I'm totally not lying when I say I like this part a lot more. This is the first thing I've written for FlutterDash (I've done a few shorter TwiJack things, but I dunno if I feel like posting them. They aren't as good as this story is), but I really like FlutterDash's story a lot more than TwiJack's. I'm a sucker for bookhorse and applehorse, I guess. Whateves. Anywho: Thanks a bunch, everybrony!_

 _And drop me a line if you feel like it! I ain't gonna beg, because I ain't about that life, but it's always nice. So do that! Or not! Either way: who awesome? U awesome._


	8. Part 2: The Special Somepony

**The Special Somepony**

The night of the dance had arrived, and Rainbow Dash? She was not exactly thinking it was going to be awesome. She stood outside of the castle, standing a few feet from the crowd, watching as each couple slowly filtered into the wide front gates of the venue. Everypony, all got up in their best dresses, wore wide smiles and excited eyes, taking in the rare spectacle before them. To greet the masses stood Twilight and Applejack, side-by-side, just inside the door; Twilight to welcome everyone in, and Applejack… just to stand there, nodding and shaking hooves with those who offered. Rainbow Dash guessed she was just there because her girlfriend was.

She had just decided that going in was not quite the best idea when she heard the music kick on. When she did, she paused just a moment, looking up at the sky. Seems as if either a lot of ponies had donated their equipment to the cause, or that castle truly was magical, because fireworks erupted from the top of the castle. "Not bad, Cutie Mark Crusaders…" she whispered, a strangely proud smile slowly growing on her face.

The smile quickly disappeared, however. _Cutie Mark Crusaders…_ she thought, reminded of what Fluttershy had told her last night. _Scootaloo… the things I do for you_ … she turned with these thoughts, starting her slow, defeated walk to the front entrance to the castle.

"Rainbow _Daaaash_!" Before she had even taken a dozen steps, a voice called her name from the front balcony. She looked up to see Pinkie Pie standing by Fluttershy, the former of the two energetically waving for her to come and join them. Rainbow Dash shrugged before flying to them, awkwardly rubbing one hoof with the other as she gave a small smile to Fluttershy. "Hey girls…" she softly welcomed, wondering if the Pegasus remembered their less-than-friendly meeting two days before.

"You look _great_!" Pinkie Pie shouted. She began using a hoof to dig in her mane. A moment later she pulled out a cookie, tossing it in her mouth. Rainbow Dash watched, an eyebrow lifted, only to have Pinkie smile, cookie crumbs falling away.

Despite the complement, Rainbow Dash didn't care a lick about clothes, especially about frilly stuff like dresses and shoes. Her philosophy was that if it fit, it was comfortable, and you could fly in it, then what else did you need? But this was some black-tie occasion, and while she loved being the center of attention, it had to be _good_ attention. So she just wanted something to blend in, here. That being the case, she did keep a _few_ nice dresses—however confining they were. This one? The same dress she wore for the Grand Galloping Gala—just with a little less of the layers Rarity had given her. It was cool, comfortable, and if this DJ was who she thought it was—she would definitely be able to get her jam on in this dress.

"Thanks…" she finally answered, giving a subconscious once-over to herself. "So how's the party so far?"

Pinkie Pie shrugged. "Nothin's really happened yet. We've mostly just stood around and waiting for everypony to show up. They do have cake though, and it looks _super_ yummy! Not as yummy as these cookies, though…" She continued, digging in her mane for yet another cookie.

"Right…" Rainbow answered, giving a look over at Fluttershy, who merely shrugged in return. Rainbow was starting to think that possibly the Pegasus _was_ mad at her. Flutters hadn't said a single word—but then again, she really didn't talk too much to begin with.

But as wavering as Rainbow Dash's theory was, it was immediately crushed by Fluttershy speaking up: "I'm glad you decided to show up, tonight, Dashie. I'm sure it'll mean an _awful_ lot to the little ones. Scootaloo has been asking around for you since I got here. "

 _Perfect…_ Rainbow Dash thought. _I can get in, see Scootaloo, and go from there_. She smiled at Fluttershy and excused herself from her friends: "Right—I better go talk to her. I'll catch you girls down there, right?" she asked, looking between the polar opposite ponies.

After their confirmation, she trotted down the large flight of stairs leading back to the main floor of the building, pondering why, exactly, she was so scared about this party to begin with. Sure, it wasn't _completely_ cool to show up alone—but this wasn't so bad.

Walking right past the group's throne room (that still sounded weirdly awesome to Rainbow Dash), she entered the grand hall. Immediately her senses were drowned out with the sights, smells, and sound of the dance. She glanced around, looking for her smallest friends amongst the varied group. Knowing she was at a loss, she lifted a few feet in the air, finally spotting them toward the corner of the room, coordinating _something_ , she was sure.

It was at this point the familiar _feel_ of the party drowned her, as well. The people shifting and shoving, moving and pulling—she felt like a superstar being bombarded with the paparazzi. Except she wasn't what they were after—they were after the party.

Who knows? Maybe she could meet someone here? There had to be _somepony_ else who came alone.

"Rainbow Dash!" It was the second time that night her voice had been called, and with every time, the party just weighed a little bit lighter on her. Putting on a smile, she ruffled up Scootaloo's mane, looking around the party with awe. "Quite the little dance you guys put together, here!" She welcomed, hoof-bumping the pony that saw her as a mentor.

"Thanks! I'm glad you like it!" the little one squeaked, fixing her hair with a single hoof. No matter how many times Rainbow Dash saw her, she still found it a little awesome that such a little one looked up at her that way. It was like the little sister she never had… not that she wanted one, but the option was always good.

"Scootaloo, c'mere! We got ourselves a problem!" The familiar voice of Applejack's little sister called, drawing the admiring pony away from Rainbow Dash. The filly excused herself before running toward her friends, leaving Rainbow all alone… again. _Well Dash,_ _you've made your appearance,_ she told herself, looking around at the party— _dance_ , she mentally corrected—and the ponies in attendance, _whatever you do from here on out is up to you._

Usually she would jump all over this opportunity, throwing caution to the wind and embracing the night. Usually, she wouldn't give a pony feather about what other ponies thought of her, dancing by herself or not. But this seemed a lot more stiff-necked and _lovey_ than the events she came to.

She supposed that was the difference that Rarity had mentioned. This wasn't meant to be _fun_. It was meant to be _memorable_. Or—and she hated to admit it—maybe this was just because of Twilight and AJ. They had managed to make herself think about all of this romantic junk, and now it was just stuck in her head. _Come on, Rainbow…_ she told herself, _you aren't AJ and Twi. You're your own pony. Now get out there and find somepony to just have fun with._

She looked back over at the three little fillies, who had somehow thrown the best dance Ponyville had ever seen, despite their combined age being barely older than herself. She was going to enjoy this. If not for herself, then at least for Scootaloo.

 _Okay—find a pony. If you want people to see how awesome you are, you just have to show them. Fit in, be social, make friends...remind Ponyville that you're awesome._

The pep-talk seemed to work as she looked around, a new fire in her eyes. Just as she began to make her way around the room, the music kicked in. But as much as she was hoping it'd be something she could have fun with—it turned out to be something ridiculously slow and boring. Almost immediately, all of the pony couples were spread out in pairs across the dance floor. She knew Ponyville's resident princess and resident cowgirl were out there, being all gushy together, too. But as much as that made her want to gag, it _did_ make her job a little easier, as the ponies who decided to sit out were a lot less intimidating. _Couple… couple… couple, couple_ … She recounted, her eyes making sweeps across the crowds at the tables and against the walls.

There weren't many options…

 _Okay, scratch that_ , she thought, _there aren't any options…_

No pony. Not a _single_ pony in sight was here on their own. Rarity and that journalist guy—Rainbow didn't even bother to know his name—were sitting at a far table, with Rarity looking slightly miffed about her date's attention tracking a single cowgirl-hatted-pony waltzing along to the music, a purple princess in hoof. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were at the punch table, Fluttershy giggling silently—likely due to Pinkie's antics. And then there was Rainbow…

 _I guess it's just me and the music, then…_ she thought, _even though I apparently can't even enjoy that…_ She rejected the idea of retreating to the punch table, and just waiting it out with her friends. She just didn't want to deal with the gnawing guilt of blowing off Fluttershy all night. She would apologize later—but for now? She just wanted to have _fun._

In the end, she decided to just wait this song out, and hope the next one was better. _Who picked this music, anyway?_ She thought, wanting to blame anypony else besides herself, at that moment. _Wait—the music!_ She remembered what Applebloom had mentioned. They said they had gotten a DJ, and if it was who she was suspecting, this might not be such a bad night, after all…

Vinyl Scratch, the only pony Rainbow Dash knew that could compete with herself for awesomest pony in Ponyville. While Rainbow Dash was the source of all awesomeness in _sports_ , Vinyl was the source of all awesomeness in music. The two didn't talk much outside of these types of parties, but when they did? They usually had a blast.

Approaching the DJ booth—which was quite the architectural feat, had the three ponies created it, themselves— she climbed the stairs, seeing the lone pony look rather bored with the whole display.

"Not quite your pace, huh, Scratch?" she welcomed, chuckling a little as she watched her victim jerk at the sudden voice behind her.

The DJ turned, a wide smile playing on her face. "Horseapples, Dash. You scared the breezies outta me!" she exclaimed, lifting a hoof to playfully hit her friend on the shoulder. "And what brings you to my domain? You should be out there, cutting a rug with your _special somepony_ ," the last two words were laced with sarcasm, as the DJ threw her hooves in the air like the words were holy.

Dash let out a snort. "Yeah right, me? A _special somepony_?" she began, acting like the two were water and oil. She would _never_ tell Vinyl the truth: that she had tried to find one. Vinyl would never understand in a million _billion_ years. "Besides, if I got a special somepony, what would you do during these things?"

"I'd probably fall asleep, to be honest." The pony admitted, flipping a record between her hooves before placing it on the turntable. "The tracks those pint-sizes gave me? Classy—but not exactly jumpable. I brought a few of my own, just as samples, in case this thing gets pumpin', but I doubt that'll happen." She flipped a switch just as the previous song ended, and another track grew, slowly engulfing the faded static of the previous record.

Rainbow Dash shrugged, leaning her head against the back wall of the stage. "I hear ya. These parties usually last _forever_ , and never get anywhere _near_ exciting. I hafta give those fillies credit, though: as far as stiff-necked events go, this one pretty much takes the cake."

The DJ nodded her admittance. "Can't complain with you there. Remember the _real_ parties, back in Cloudsdale, though? That night at the Academy was hoppin', I don't care if you're a Pegasus or a unicorn. Best gig I ever had."

Rainbow Dash remembered the night all too well. That was where she had met that Stallion whose name escaped her—and, despite that whole relationship ending in disaster, it still went down as the best night of her life. Next to, of course, finding out that she was the living embodiment of an Element of Harmony. That night was cool, too.

That night was when she first met Vinyl. Her and Neon… something, were setting up the party decorations. Vinyl Scratch was one of that guy's friends. And, despite not being in the Academy—or even a Pegasus at all—they had both been invited to DJ the party, strictly because they were one of the best in the business—even at that young of an age. A magical spell from the Academy's local magic professor (one of Rainbow Dash's least enthusiastic subjects), and Neon What's-His-Name and Vinyl Scratch were walking on clouds, getting ready for the big bash.

Rainbow Dash, being the party pony that she was, offered to help set up as well. Neon was nice enough—enough to get her interested, and Vinyl became one of her newest friends that night. In fact, if she had been a Pegasus, and had been at the academy, Rainbow might have never ended up the loner that she was. She might have stopped protecting Fluttershy so much, and probably would have never met all of her friends…

Who knows what woulda happened, then? Rainbow Dash didn't want to think about it. Vinyl was awesome… but her friends were awesome, too.

"Whoa, Unicorn to Pegasus, do you read me, Pegasus?" the words and a hoof waving in front of her face brought Rainbow Dash back to the present. "There she is! Where'd ya wander off to?" Vinyl asked, a smug look on her face.

"Honestly?" Dash replied, "Back to that party in Cloudsdale. Things were so _weird_ then."

The DJ snorted. "We were, like, barely older than those Cloudy-marked Commanders, or whatever they call themselves. _Everything_ was weird, back then." Rainbow Dash shrugged. Vinyl had a point, so she let her continue: "Back then, the biggest worry in the world was if you got an A on an Equestrian History exam. Now? Now you're off with a princess and four other ponies fighting evil spirits and legendary gods of chaos."

Rainbow Dash smiled, recounting all of the crazy adventures she had been on over the last few years. "It is pretty awesome, isn't it?" she asked, never missing an opportunity to admit it.

"I'd pay to see it," was all the response Vinyl had for her.

The two sat in companionable silence, Vinyl trading off the record every so few minutes. This was what parties usually were for the DJ and Rainbow Dash: just being together. It hadn't happened in so long, however, simply because Scratch was one busy pony. Dash almost forgot how nice it was, even if the party wasn't exactly her speed.

 _I don't know. Maybe this party won't be so—_

"Ugh, I can't take this anymore, Dash." The words cut through her thoughts, shattering any hope of the night just going smoothly. "I. Need. Jams." One at a time, each word grew more and more desperate. "I'm dropping the floor off this place, Dash. Whether or not they want it."

Rainbow Dash just burst into laughter. This was going to be party after all, it seemed.

"All you party ponies get on the floor. DJ P0N-3 is about to shake the roof! Here we go!"

With a blur of movements, Vinyl had swapped out all of the old records, replacing them with two tracks that, despite obviously undergoing extremely harsh use, Rainbow Dash knew would liven up this party. With a flip of a switch, the grating, pounding music flew from the sub speakers planted directly below the stage. And with that, Vinyl began doing what Rainbow knew she did best: partying:

 _Baby you can h—Baby you can h—Baby you can h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-haul my cart_.

The words pulsated through the room and reverberated into the walls, while the deep throbbing of the music seemed to settle in the pit of Rainbow Dash's stomach, shaking the very fiber of her being. The song choice brought back even more memories—the same song that had been played back in Cloudsdale.

Rainbow Dash had only one thing to say: "Now this—this is a party."

Rainbow didn't even leave the DJ booth for the rest of the evening, not even to go out and join the pit of dancers enjoying Vinyl's performance. She just sat up on the stage, watching Scratch have at it, admiring the finesse and talent the pony had. It was crazy to think that such a task that seemed so simple required so much work and dedication. And, despite how rare the compliment was, Rainbow Dash knew she had to admit it: Vinyl was better at it than she would ever be.

* * *

 _A/N: Part 3 is happening. No one really said they wanted it, but I have nothing else on my fanfiction plate at the moment, so it's happening. Also, I hate the fact that this is only one gigantic, 2891 word scene. But whatever. Oh, and while reviewing my idea for part 3, I decided to *maybe* change a few things (namely: what constituted the borderline-M rating), so I might drop the story back down to T. We'll see. I'm not calling it, yet._

 _ **Also: the "baby you can haul my cart" thing is from the MLP comic books. I don't own those**_ **.** _So if you think it's stupid, blame the IDW staff, not me. I'm not creative enough to write songs, so you get comic book references._


	9. Part 2: Tomorrow's Plans

**Tomorrow's Plans**

The day after the dance was, or at least Rainbow expected it to be, the beginning of her life returning to normal. The newness of two of her besties dating had subsided, with Twilight and Applejack's revelation becoming old news—as long as she didn't have to be near them—and the party was a thing of the past. This was the beginning of the rest of her life, and Rainbow Dash was determined to make it _awesome_.

That is… until she left her house. Something just seemed _off_.

It couldn't be the weather, it had been like this for weeks: "Rainbow Dash, we need a little bit more cloud-cover in the air, our crops are starting to _blah, blah, blah_ …" It was always clouds: Cold and clouds, rain and clouds, a light breeze and clouds… she hadn't seen the sun for what seemed like two months. And with winter just around the corner, she probably would be seeing snow before the sun came back out.

So what could it be? Everything just seemed so… dull. Maybe she was just riding the after-party high, where reality seemed so unimpressive. Maybe with nothing too insanely stressful, the average day-to-day life just seemed unfit for Rainbow Dash's awesomeness.

Or maybe she just knew that it would be forever until she could just hang out with Vinyl Scratch again.

 _Oh for Celestia's sake, I have_ tons _of friends! Sure Vinyl is awesome, but so is everypony else! I can't be getting all sappy over it. When we do hang, it just makes it that much more awesome!_ The thoughts were, Rainbow knew, poor comfort, but she had to convince herself that, despite how much she wished she could party like that every night, Vinyl would be moving on to her next gig before Rainbow knew it. And she couldn't follow. Why? Because Ponyville—and more importantly, her friends—needed her here.

She was the living embodiment of loyalty, for heck's sake! She couldn't go off bailing on her friends just because one night of awesomeness with an old friend. That's not cool, and Rainbow Dash should know. She had been left behind by a group of friends, before, and she would not wish that upon _anypony_.

Descending from her flying mansion in the sky (or at least she liked to think of it as a mansion), she soared down to the little town below. The other winged weatherponies had taken care of the skies; meaning that all Rainbow Dash had to do, was enjoy her day.

Taking this opportunity to maybe just get a little bit of down time, she decided to find one of her friends. As she flew slowly through the streets of Ponyville, she thought of potential candidates. It was Sunday, which means most of Ponyville would be out enjoying their weekend. She glanced around, seeing the various residents go about their mid-morning chores. There had to be somepony around that she knew. She would settle for _anypony_ at this point.

She gave a brief sigh. _Maybe_ _not_ anypony. She still couldn't do it. Being around Twilight or Applejack was still just so _weird_ … And right now? She didn't want weird. Maybe she just needed another day or two until she was ready for—

"Hiya, Rainbow!" Rainbow Dash visibly winced from those words. The country lace to them could only mean one thing: it was AJ.

She wasn't mad at Applejack, in fact, it was the exact opposite: she was really proud and happy for AJ. Her friend had found her happiness, and it turned out to be _right in front of her_ from the very beginning! That was just wicked awesome. But being around either of those love-ponies just—as much as she hated to admit it—made her uncomfortable.

Why? She didn't want to even go there. She knew in the end, it was her being—not jealous—just… envious. Was there even a different? She didn't _like_ either of them—heck, she didn't even like _girls_! They were two of her bestest friends in the _entire_ world—but seeing them together so much made her kind of want somepony like that, too.

She tried to just look past it, but to be honest? Trying to _not_ think about it made her just think about it even more. It was like every little thing that they did just cut a little deeper into herself, until eventually, she just wouldn't be able to take it anymore.

But, like she had done last night, she put a brave face on it, smiling as she swooped down to circle her friend: "Hiya, yourself!" she welcomed, landed right next to Applejack. "What're you doing out here with the _city-folk_?" she teased, nudging her with her shoulder.

"Well I was honestly just goin' to see Twilight," she sheepishly answered. "But we really do need to get together sometime, Dash. I feel like I haven't see ya in ages!"

Rainbow Dash tilted her head a moment, pretending to be in deep thought. "Yeah, I guess it has been a while, huh? We should definitely do that, sometime…"

Applejack thought a moment, taking a second to lean against the wall of the nearby restaurant they had stopped at. "Well how's about tomorrow night? You could stay over at the farm, and we could make a day of it!"

Rainbow Dash froze. To be completely honest? That sounded great—if it was _old_ Applejack. If this was the Applejack that would wake her up at the crack of dawn, having already made breakfast. If it was old Applejack, who would talk about the weirdest stuff, but would have the weirdest passion about it. She would have loved to, if she knew the day was going to be about them pitting their stubbornness against each other, seeing who was the best at the stupidest of things.

But this wasn't the old Applejack. This was going to be the _new_ Applejack, who was just like the old Applejack minus one very small, yet very important detail: she had _Twilight_. It was like Applejack had found a replacement for Rainbow Dash, and she was pretty positive that this new replacement would be the center of AJ's attention, whether Twilight was there or not. And _that_ many hours of talking about her new girlfriend? That didn't exactly sound like a fun time.

"I—ah—can't make it, then. Sorry AJ. I have…plans." The word came out before Rainbow Dash could stop it. Of course she didn't have plans… she didn't even know what she was doing that night, let alone _tomorrow_. But now, apparently, she did. What those plans were? She just hope that AJ didn't—

"Oh, whatcha doin'? Anything excitin'?" the country pony asked, her curiosity piqued.

Panic. It was pure panic that answered the question: "I have a—uh—a thing that I gotta do..." _Smooth, Rainbow Dash. Very smooth_ , she thought, mentally face-hooving her own stupidity.

"Right," Applejack said, lifting an eyebrow at her friend. Rainbow Dash's panic was bubbling over, at this point. Just under that look of confusion, she could see AJ had a small look of pain in her eye. She knew that something was wrong, she just couldn't place what, and, with the massive heart that AJ had, she was going to the directly _worst_ situation possible: that Rainbow didn't approve of her relationship.

"I—I—" Rainbow dash didn't even know what to say, and so she came up with the only excuse that she could think of that could possibly take up an _entire_ night: "I have a date, okay?"

Applejack's look of hurt turned into one of disbelief… and then, surprisingly, joy. "Well now! Gotta say I didn't see that comin'! Who's the lucky pony?" she asked, looking over Rainbow's shoulder, apparently expecting to see the new special somepony lurking in the shadows somewhere.

 _A DATE?_ The question was Rainbow Dash's first thought. _What in Equestria am I supposed to say now? Worse yet—if I don't answer, she'll know I'm lying. If I do answer, I'll have to… I don't even know!_ Her mind was racing with potential candidates, but none of the ideas even made any sense. In an act of desperation, she began to look over Applejack's own shoulder. Maybe this date of hers would be lurking in the shadows, after all... _First pony you see, Dash, first pony you see_.

Applejack immediately caught on, once she saw Rainbow begin to glance around: "I knew it, Rainbow Dash! You don't even have a—"

"Fluttershy! I—it's Fluttershy."She blurted, spotting the pink-maned Pegasus stepping along the cobbled path a few paces away. At hearing her own voice, she lifted her head before smiling, and began to trot over.

 _Fluttershy! Fluttershy? Of all the ponies I could have picked, I picked_ FLUTTERSHY _? I could have picked any pony else that I wanted—literally anypony—and it would have made sense. Even Vinyl, AJ would have bought. But there is no way that_ —

"I—yes?" The small voice of Fluttershy approached, and instantly Rainbow Dash could feel the worst, most foreign feeling in the history of her existence creeping up on her: she started to blush.

Rainbow Dash, in all of her years of living, had never been this embarrassed. She had never done anything that put her in a tight spot like this. Rainbow Dash didn't like to lie, she _never_ abandoned anypony, and if she bragged about something, she _knew_ she could do it. But now? She had to lie—only to protect her friend's feelings. That was okay, right? _Right_? Or maybe she was just protecting herself…

Applejack grew a curious look, planning on getting to the bottom of this mystery. "Rainbow Dash was just tellin' me about your girls'—"

"—plans for tomorrow night, right Flutters? I'm really looking forward to it. I know we're gonna have a lot of fun, just me and you." Rainbow Dash didn't have a single plan on how to convince Fluttershy of the situation, but she knew that she could at least save it, now, as long as she was in charge of the conversation.

Fluttershy, on the other hand, looked between the two of the ponies, her anxiety and confusion getting the best of her. "I don't—" she began, looking at Applejack. She turned back to Rainbow Dash, slowly backing away from the pair. "We could-I suppose—"

"It's okay, Fluttershy. I told her everything." Rainbow Dash stepped over to the practically shaking girl, placing a hoof on her shoulder. She looked over at Applejack, thinking on her hooves. "We didn't want to tell anypony about it. We aren't sure about—well, _anything_ —right now, but we are going to see what happens. Please, don't tell anypony? For a while, at least?"

 _Please work; please work; please work_ … The words repeated through her mind as Rainbow Dash looked between the two ponies, equally shocked and confused, but for completely different reasons. If she could get AJ to buy it, she could explain everything to Fluttershy, and _hopefully_ everything would work out. If Rainbow Dash was right—and let's face it, she was right _way_ more often than not… she's Rainbow Dash! Anyways—if she was right, AJ would be riding on her new-relationship high, and she would be willing to believe almost any—

"Well I'll be—this is just amazin'! I'm happy for ya both, I really am. I won't tell a soul, I promise."

 _Thank Celestia_. All that was left was the easiest part: explaining everything to Fluttershy…

Applejack cantered away, a large, incredibly goofy smile plastered on her face. For some reason, Rainbow Dash had a feeling that AJ would be squealing about the new relationship the minute her and Twilight were alone. She would have to take care of that later…

She turned, looking over at Fluttershy, who, strangely, was simply staring at her expectantly. It wasn't anger, it wasn't fright, it was just… well, Rainbow couldn't think of any other word. There was just… expectance. "I—uh—can explain." The words came out, but Fluttershy didn't even flinch. A single blink came from the pink-haired pegasus as she still just waited for Rainbow Dash to elaborate on the strange situation. "I—Okay, look Fluttershy, I can't really explain all of this with you glaring at me like a stone statue. At least give me _the stare_ , or something…"

Fluttershy shrugged before casting her glance downward, drawing invisible patterns on the cobbled path with her hoof. "You told Applejack we were dating. I just want to know why."

The words were so innocent. They were simple. They didn't hold any hidden meanings, they weren't pushing. That was classic Fluttershy: she was just _there_. She was there when you needed her, and she never asked anything in return, even when you put her in a tight spot… well—she expected an explanation, but could you really blame her for that one?

"I told Applejack that I couldn't go to her place, tomorrow, because I really don't feel like sitting there while she goes _on_ and _on_ about her new girlfriend. She asked what I was doing, and I just kinda froze. I couldn't think of any excuse, so I just said that I had a date. She asked me who, so I didn't really have a choice." It was a simple explanation, but Fluttershy already knew that this new relationship wasn't sitting well with her. Rainbow Dash didn't really think an encore performance of _that_ conversation was necessary.

"That's it?" she asked, looking a little hesitant.

 _What_? _Not good enough for you?_ Rainbow Dash thought, but instead, she only asked: "What else is there?"

"I just kind of… maybe… wanted to know why you picked _me_? I mean, know I was right there, but there _are_ a lot of ponies around, and—I just don't understand."

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, looking around the town for anypony nearby that might give her an escape from this nightmare. "I don't know… I guess I figured if all of this went down, and I really _did_ have to end up going out tomorrow night, I would want it to be with someone who I could at least have fun with. We don't exactly have a lot in common, Flutters, but you have to admit: we have fun, sometimes."

Fluttershy tilted her head in thought, continuing to just stare at Rainbow Dash; that blush still present on her face. "They'll ask us, you know. You won't be able to just pretend like this never happened."

Despite this situation escalating more and more, Rainbow Dash knew that she was right. She knew that, despite all of this going according to plan, there was one thing she hadn't taken into consideration: this was _Applejack_ they were talking about. AJ didn't just let things go.

"So what do you suggest we do, Dashie?" Fluttershy asked, interrupting Rainbow Dash's train of thought.

A deep sigh, some quick thinking, and a resignation later, and Rainbow Dash looked back toward Fluttershy: "Well… do you have any plans for tomorrow night?"

She giggled, and Rainbow wasn't sure if it was out of excitement, the joke, or even if she was just laughing at Rainbow Dash's predicament. "I do, now."

* * *

 _A/N: The long gap between updates is because the views for this story completely tanked, the last week. With so few new readers, I figured a small break wouldn't hurt. But whatever... I'm back! And now the show must go on. The next update will be around before too long. Have a great weekend! And may the new episode actually have Twilight or Fluttershy in it! *Crosses fingers* (I'm not holding my breath, though…)_

 _Peace out, everybrony!_


	10. Part 2: The Heat of an Ember

**The Heat of an Ember**

Rainbow Dash was not believing what she was getting all dressed up for… _again_. It was literally _two_ _days_ _before_ that she was putting this same dress on, but this time, she wasn't doing it because she was going to a dance. She was doing it because she was going on a date. With a _girl_. Her… Rainbow Dash… on a date with a girl… and what made this more unbelievable, was that the girl was _Fluttershy_.

"Just one night, Dash," she told herself, looking in her bedroom mirror. She looked good, she wouldn't even deny herself that. _What am I kiddin', I look amazing_! She thought, viewing her own reflection. "One night, and everything is great. One night, and you can go back to your old life. You can go back to flying, and becoming a Wonderbolt. You can go back to…" she took a deep sigh, leaning her head against that of her mirror's reflection, "pretending like this never happened."

"Just out of curiosity, would that be a good thing or a bad thing, RD?" the sudden voice tore her from the mirror. Flipping around, she saw none other than Vinyl Scratch, standing before her, a smug look on the DJ's face. "Well—you're all tidied up, again. Got a hot date with a _special somepony_ , after all?"

The rainbow-haired pony looked back at the mirror, ruffling her wings up to made sure they were flexible. "Somethin' like that," she said with a snort. "How are you even up here, anyway?"

Vinyl simply shook her head, a slight look of mischief on her face. "I have a gig in Cloudsdale this weekend, so I have to go preview the whole place, and get it all rigged up. Can't really preview anything if I go falling through the floor, so I had to get zapped. I'm leaving tonight, thus the cloud-walking.

The Unicorn tilted her head, a look of seriousness crossing her face. "I figured since I already went through all the trouble, I might as well swing by here, and check up on you."

Rainbow Dash frowned, turning away from the mirror. "And why would I need 'checking up' on?"

Vinyl only raised an eyebrow, lifting a hoof at the question. "Seriously? I mean, I know I kinda come off as a goof-up, but I'm not complete stupid, D. Something's off with you. At that party last night? You didn't actually get up and _party._ And when you don't party? Something big is going on.

"I'm not really sure what's screwing with you, but I know you've been thinking about _something_. It's pretty obvious, and I don't even know you half as well as most of the ponies in that room, last night. You're just not yourself. You're, like—acting like your whole world is falling apart, or something. Just… hang in there, alright? I wanna see you back to your old self by the time I get back. Deal?" she stepped forward, extending a hoof with a smile.

Rainbow Dash nodded, taking her friend's hoof. "You got yourself a deal."

As Vinyl lowered her hoof, she shrugged. "Maybe this date will be good for you, after all." Vinyl turned to leave, but once she was in the doorway she stopped, turning one last time. "Who _is_ the lucky pony, anyways?"

Rainbow Dash snorted, wondering what the reaction would be from the next single word: "Fluttershy."

Rather than the freak out she was anticipating, it was just a smile and a nod. "That's the pink-haired girl from back at the Academy, right?" Rainbow Dash hesitantly nodded. "Yeah. Whatever's bugging you? I'm pretty sure she can handle it."

Vinyl stepped outside of the room without a single word. And before Rainbow Dash could even ask for an explanation, a burst of sky-blue light shown from outside her porch, leaving Rainbow Dash to her own thoughts.

Two ponies, now, didn't even find the news of this _fake_ date surprising—for the right reason, anyways. And, if Rainbow Dash read Fluttershy right, she, herself, seemed to be looking forward to the occasion. Was it seriously such a believable fact? "This night just keeps getting weirder," she said to herself, giving herself one last look in the mirror. She promised she would meet Fluttershy at her cottage, and, after that, she wasn't even sure. Fluttershy said she wanted to surprise her. Who knew what that meant?

 _Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough_.

Abandoning her reflection in the mirror, she took to the air, flying slowly toward the cottage. The journey gave her time to think, but she wasn't even sure what words should be crossing her mind. Every factor that she thought of was completely ridiculous. How in Equestria were all of these ponies just buying this, without question? And, in the same light, how was she just _letting_ them buy it? All of these weird events had slowly grew to this point, and just to save herself a little bit of a headache, she was here, dressed in a ball gown, going on a _fake_ date with one of her best friends.

And the worst part? She was almost positive that her best friend was excited about it. Sure, Fluttershy was pretty chill about everything, but to just keep a positive attitude in a situation like _this?_

What was Rainbow talking about? Fluttershy kept a positive attitude about _everything_. She was kind of weird like that: the pony was scared of her own _shadow_ , had a nasty case of anxiety, and was positive that every single idea of her own was likely to end in a failure. But when it came to other ponies? She was the most positive pony in all of Equestria. She didn't just believe in second chances, she believed in third, fourth, and probably even fifth chances.

 _Maybe_ , Rainbow Dash thought, _Maybe that's all that this: just another chance. Maybe she's just going along with this just so I can fix everything with AJ, in a few days. I mean, really: Flutters doesn't like me or anything. That's just ridiculous… isn't it? She doesn't think this is real, does she?_

Rainbow Dash let out a small laugh as she approached Fluttershy's cottage. _A better question is do_ I _think this is for real?_

She landed just outside of Fluttershy's door, and, not even having enough time to gather her courage to knock, the door slowly cracked open. Fluttershy peered around it, her face completely blushed red. "Uhm, hi, Rainbow Dash. You look—uhm—come in." The words were soft, jumbled, and filled with complete and utter terror. It was the exact opposite of the Fluttershy that Rainbow had talked to just the previous day, yet still, in the weird way, the same.

If she had to guess, Rainbow Dash would have thought that it was just the nerves that had finally gotten to the pony, not much unlike what had happened to herself. "Hey Fluttershy," she opened up with. "You look great," she said, accepting the pony's welcome into her cottage.

Fluttershy had a light, airy dress on. The hem was lace, paired with light pink butterflies, not unlike her cutie mark. The large majority of the green, transparent fabric was layered on a dulled yellow silk, creating a very earthy look. It was screaming nature, yet it was still somehow very, very attractive.

 _Whoa, where did_ that _come from?_ Rainbow Dash asked, shaking the thought out of her mind. _Keep your head on straight… literally._ She scolded.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Dashie." _Dashie_. No one else called her that, only Fluttershy. It was kind of the one thing that Rainbow Dash knew was Fluttershy's. Before, she always took it as a sign of their friendship. But now? It just seemed really special all of a sudden. It was kind of _their thing_ , if that made any sense. It was the one thing they shared between them.

Fluttershy led Rainbow Dash to her backdoor, and then outside, to Fluttershy's open backyard. "I didn't exactly plan to be outside, Flutters…" Rainbow Dash slowly mentioned.

"Oh, I know you didn't. I already planned this all out," she said, brimming with pride.

 _Fluttershy… with pride_? _Never thought I'd put those two in the same sentence_ , Rainbow Dash thought with an inner smile. "If you say so."

Fluttershy led her through her backyard and up, over the rolling hill behind it. Once they had peaked the hill, Rainbow Dash was hoping for an indication on how Fluttershy viewed this "fake" date. But, it seemed like, as with everything about Fluttershy that night, it wasn't as one-dimensional as it first appeared. A small fire flickered near a single blanket, where a small plate of pastries sat amongst a pitcher of a light brown, transparent liquid. Rainbow Dash assumed it was biscuits and tea, but she couldn't be positive.

"So, what do you think?" The words hung in the air as Rainbow Dash took this all in. It seemed very… romantic. But plain and simple, at the same time. Everything about it screamed Fluttershy, but all of the underlying factors to it held so many other complications that Rainbow Dash still didn't know what it all meant.

"It looks… cozy." That was a compliment, right? Rainbow didn't even know, herself. She was completely lost in all of this, desperately trying to claw her way out of this situation. Usually, she reveled in being out of her element, viewing it as a chance to push herself to new limits. But this? This was just awkwardly uncomfortable. And it was her own fault, too.

Without another word, the two took their spots near the fire. Fluttershy simply lay down, right near the crackling flames, seeming completely at ease with the whole thing. Rainbow Dash glanced around, wonder what, exactly, she was supposed to do. In the end, she merely sat down, staring at her _date_ with no little uncertainty. "So, uh—this is nice." Grasping at straws, Rainbow Dash watched her date _giggle_ at the comment.

Giggling… again. It seemed to always be giggling with Fluttershy. This girl juggled between severely terrified and carefree and fun. There was no in-between with her.

"Yes. I think it is very nice." Fluttershy paused a moment, taking a deep breath. She let it out with a sigh before continuing: "I didn't bring you out here for no reason, Dashie. I brought you out here so you can say whatever it is that is bothering you. Out here, no one can hear you, but me. You seemed really upset the other day, and I want to help."

Rainbow Dash just sat there, taken back by Fluttershy's openness. "I'm pretty sure you already know everything. I haven't, really, been able to adjust to this new life that my friends have. I get all weirded out whenever I am with either of them, Flutters. It's not them both being girls, I already told everypony how I feel about _that_. It's just—them being together makes me wonder when I started be so… alone."

Fluttershy, tilted her head, a look of sadness crossing her face. "But you aren't alone. You have all of your friends."

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I know I have you girls, and that is awesome. It's just… I don't have _somepony special_. I don't have that pony I can just be with, just for the sake of loving her. I don't have anypony that is with me, just to _be_ with me. I don't have a pony that loves me, just because she can. I've tried to find somepony, but there's nopony that I'm not already friends with. There's nopony that I don't know that could do that."

Fluttershy nodded slowly before looking deep into the embers of the fire. Rainbow Dash noticed, with a weird sense of curiosity, that her _fake_ date's eyes were greener than she thought. They weren't just _blue…_ they were kind of ocean blue. With the fire reflecting off of them, the only way she could describe it was to say it looked like somepony had set the ocean on fire.

But as quickly as she birthed the analogy, it died as Fluttershy turned, the world inside those eyes breaking as Rainbow Dash returned to this awkward reality. "First of all, you said ' _her'_ , Dashie. Twice."

Rainbow Dash tilted her head in confusion, completely missing the accusation. "Huh?"

"You said _'I don't have a pony that loves me, just because_ SHE _can',_ " Fluttershy quoted, emphasizing the pronoun. "I thought you said you didn't like girls?"

 _I… did?_ She thought, the realization setting her back. She paused, thinking this through, wondering where, exactly, this put her. Twilight and Applejack: they seemed… nice. Their relationship seemed like it just _made sense_. There was no politics about her opinion, no maneuvering or rationalizing with herself. In the end, it just seemed _nice._

Rainbow Dash sighed deeply, wondering where to begin in her strange explanation. "I thought I didn't. But lately, after seeing Twilight and AJ, a relationship like that just—to be honest, I don't know why, but it just looks _nice_. It looks comfortable. Familiar. When I see them, I wonder how it is to just be with somepony you can so easily identify with. I can't say I'm _completely_ attracted to girls, I just know that I can't say I'm _not_. Is that bad?" her uncertainty showed through, making her watch herself even more. She wasn't sure what it was about this pony, but Fluttershy's innocence just made it so easy to just want to tell her _everything_.

"Not at all, Dashie. Like you, yourself, said: if somepony makes you happy, and nopony is hurt in the process, then what does it matter? You liking girls doesn't make you a different pony. It doesn't change anything about yourself besides that one fact."

Rainbow Dash looked back over at Fluttershy, who only smiled reassuringly before continuing on in this ever-evolving lecture: "The second thing is this: you claim that you can't find anypony outside of those you already know, but shouldn't you be looking at the ponies you already _do_ know? If you date somepony you know, you won't be surprised about much of anything. You'll already know so much about the pony that you'll save yourself so much heartache that you would have to go through, otherwise."

 _Once again, Dash, she's right_. Rainbow thought, looking back into the fire. _I don't want to date a stranger. I don't want to walk through Ponyville, guessing to see if I'm right for somepony. So where did this put me?_ She discovered she liked girls— _maybe_ , and that she needed to be looking inside of her own friends for love. But… who did that narrow it down to?

Who did she go to when everypony else failed? Who did she know would never judge her, because they knew her entirely too well to know that she wasn't just _some rebel_? Who wouldn't expect too much from her too quickly? Who did she care about the most… the longest? As she asked herself each question, her list of friends narrowed down after each one, until only a single name was left in her mind. And, shockingly, it belonged to the pony right in front of her.

"Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash whispered. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. How could that be possible? How did everypony somehow magically know before she, herself, did? How could somepony so different from her somehow complete her in so many different ways?

"Yes?" The one word tore her from her shock, bringing her back to realize that the pony in question was watching her, waiting for her to speak.

"How did everypony… did you—" The words faded as she stared into the fire, not even bringing herself to look her realization in the eye. Rainbow had no idea what to make of this situation. The past two days had been life-changing, but this? This was completely insane! She couldn't have a crush on her best friend! And if she did, definitely not on _Fluttershy_! That was so crazy that she never even thought she needed to lay down that ground rule.

Fluttershy giggled, once again. "Are you okay?"

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, shrugged in honesty: "I truly don't know."

Fluttershy motioned for Rainbow Dash to come closer, and after she did so, Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around Rainbow Dash's neck and pulled her down, making her lay just in front of her, her eyes facing the fire. "One thing that I know for sure is that you can't rush the process of finding out who you are. I think that those three girls running around town are a perfect example of that. You'll figure everything out when you're supposed to, Dashie. But for now? Let's just enjoy tonight."

Rainbow Dash didn't understand this pony. How could she be so… different, all of a sudden? She rolled onto her stomach and lifted her head, turning to face the pony in question: "I, sometimes, don't even feel like I totally know _you._ I mean—where has this Fluttershy been since, like, _forever_?"

Fluttershy giggled for what seemed like the tenth time, that night. She tilted her head, smiling as she spoke. "I've always been like this. I just can't really bring myself to show it around anypony… except maybe you."

Rainbow Dash smiled, nodding her understanding. She took a deep breath, remembering her _date's_ words: _Let's just enjoy tonight._ She rolled around, turning to face the fire, once more. "Thank you, Flutters… for everything, tonight."

A long pause passed, and just as Rainbow Dash thought she wasn't going to get an answer, Fluttershy spoke, her words quiet and lazy. "No, Dashie. Thank you."

* * *

That night, so many things were cemented in Rainbow Dash's mind that she couldn't believe it wasn't all just a strange, crazy, yet _wonderful_ dream. She discovered she liked girls (she figured she might as well just own it, now), she discovered she had been searching in all the wrong places for love, but most importantly: she discovered who that love was: _Fluttershy._

She had no doubts in her mind, anymore. When she first thought up the concept, she was sure it was absolute, utter insanity. But once Fluttershy brought her close, made her lie down in front of the fire, and placed a single hoof on her side—it felt strangely wonderful. The heat of Fluttershy's slow, deep breaths mixed with the crackling of the fire, and when Fluttershy spoke, her soft voice barely rising above that of the flames'… it was weird, but Rainbow Dash felt really, really sleepy, and yet wide awake, all at the same time.

Loyalty and Kindness. They seemed so different, at first. They seemed to be, in some cases, the complete opposite of each other, just like their embodiments were. But when you looked closer, when you delved into the heart of the elements, you would find that they were complete _compliments_ of each other… just like their embodiments.

Now? Now all that was left was the hard part: explaining everything to Fluttershy.

* * *

 _A/N: When I first wrote this, I thought maybe Fluttershy was just a touch OOC, but as I thought about it, I could *totally* see her doing what she did, here. So, I mean, take it or leave it: that's what happened._

 _There's still 2 or 3 more chapters in this part (thank goodness, otherwise this would be quite the short story), despite things seeming to be at a climax, so we'll probably be all finished up with part 2 by the end of next week. I hope you really are enjoying this! Stay awesome, everybrony!_

 _P.S. – While I'm not_ _totally_ _on the MarbleMac ship, can we just appreciate Marble, herself? I would love to see Marble and Flutters together, in a scene. They would be adorable… If any of y'all have a fanfic with them,_ _please_ _let me know… the ship must sail._


	11. Part 2: Good Intentions

**Good Intentions**

Rainbow Dash needed a game-plan. This was, without a doubt, the biggest, _weirdest_ , most important conversation that she was ever going to have. She needed to make sure things went smoothly; she couldn't just _wing_ it. She had to make sure that her whole speech was nailed down in her mind. _An opening, a closing, and a whole bunch of mushy-gushy stuff in-between. That's what these things usually are, right?_

What was she kidding? This was Fluttershy. _Everything_ with Fluttershy ended up being mushy-gushy.

But… and as weird as this was… that was kind of a major thing that Rainbow Dash liked about her: the pony had a _ton_ of heart. Flutters was never afraid to say what she really felt, even if that involved a lot of emotion. On top of that, the pony often drove those around her to do the same, especially Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy was, in every single way, a counterbalance for Rainbow Dash's own daredevil life.

 _And that's exactly what I need: a counterbalance_. Rainbow Dash didn't need some crazy daredevil pony, like herself. She didn't even _want_ that. Sompony that was okay with her just vanishing on some adventure, or was just looking for a good time; somepony that wouldn't judge her, just because the other pony was just as nuts—if she wanted that, she could choose, instead, Vinyl Scratch. It would be a change in title, but nothing else. That wasn't _somepony special_ ; that was just… being selfish.

Rainbow Dash needed somepony the exact opposite. She needed somepony that would be right next to her the whole time, keeping her grounded, and maybe… just maybe… a little more humble. She needed a pony that _would judge_ her, that _would_ tell her if she was right and wrong. She needed somepony that was looking for complete commitment, and was expecting the exact same back.

And, though she didn't realize it until the night before, that was exactly what Flutters was.

 _It's also the perfect opening to this whole thing!_ _Pshhh who said this is hard? Opening? Down. I just need the closing and all of that gushy stuff, and this'll be awesome. If I hurry, I'll be done by lunch_ …

She began to think of the rest of her confession, yet she quickly found out that it wasn't, exactly, coming along well. As much as she hated to admit it, putting words to her feelings wasn't really the easiest thing, ever. _I need… something that makes her see everything I've been through, and how it all leads to her. I need something that shows how perfect this is—how perfect we are. I need… I need help._

She sighed, her head coming to rest in her hooves. ' _Help_.' She hated that word. She had only asked for help, like, three times _ever_. And though she always wished it was the last, she somehow always ended back up in this same situation. So who, in Equestria, could help her, now?

The obvious choice was Applejack. She kinda already knew about the whole _dating_ thing… kinda. But Rainbow Dash didn't want to try and fill her in on all of the details. To go back and admit that a lie caused all of this in the first place? That was about the _last_ thing she wanted to explain, right now. And since AJ probably blabbed all of this to Twi? She was out of the question, too.

That left Pinkie Pie and Rarity…

She needed to find a pony _dramatic_ ; one who could oversell anything. Which one of them could make a point, even if there really was never one to begin with?

 _Only one of them is quite that nuts:_

* * *

"Hey Rarity!" Rainbow Dash welcomed, swinging open the door to the Carousel Boutique like she owned the place. Rarity needed to be dealt with just a _touch_ of urgency… and a lot of class. Otherwise, the pony would somehow pull you into doing something pretty ridiculous, like trying on clothes, or being a living easel, while she painted you with fabric that either made you look like you stepped out of a ponytale book… or like you weren't even a pony at all. And as far as Rainbow Dash was concerned, it was the latter possibility, more often than not.

The unicorn turned, ribbon held in her mouth and a tape measure floating above her head and coated in a purple aura. Her eyes were wide with shock before she dropped the ribbon and spread her hooves out wide in a dramatic welcome. "Well hello, Darling. What brings you to my sanctuary of style?"

Rainbow Dash lifted an eyebrow at the expression. _Well you've certainly proved you have the whole 'overselling' thing_. She stepped further into the showroom before cantering over to a dress, pretending to examine its hem in apparent disinterest "I came here for a favor."

"Hold that thought," Rarity answered, racing over and pulling the Pegasus onto a platform facing a covered mirror.

"What the— _Rarity_!" As Rainbow Dash protested, the unicorn began her work. Within seconds, Rainbow Dash was measured in six different ways and fabric was floating overhead, a pair of scissors working their magic.

"Keep talking, Rainbow Dash. I'm listening." The mumbled words were barely audible as Rarity continued her sweep of creativity. Rainbow didn't even want to hear what in the name of Equestria was going on, so she simply rolled her eyes and began, grimacing as her hoof was forced straight out, and another measurement was quickly taken:

"Well there is this speech that I have to do—totally last minute. I haven't really had any time to prepare, so I figured that since you're so good with words and making ponies believe you and stuff; you might have… I don't know… tips, or something." It was perfect. There was no way in Equestria that she was going to mosey on in here and tell Rarity that she had a crush on Fluttershy. If she did that, Rarity would never shut up about it! So posing the situation like this was the perfect balance of truth, deception, and urgency. There was no way that Rarity would ever know about her crush on—

"Wait a moment—" The scissors dropped right from the air, clattering on the marble floor a few inches away from Rainbow Dash's hoof. Rarity paused, and from the look on her face, Rainbow knew that something was wrong. "This isn't about you and Fluttershy?"

Blood immediately poured into Rainbow Dash's face, turning her cheeks a light shade of red. She tried to feign a confused face, lifting a hoof in uncertain shock, but the tinge on her own face gave her away. Her embarrassment was quickly mixed with anger, however, as she knew just who to blame for this: _"AJ…_ " she whispered, wanting to fly right down to that barn of hers and—and— _do something_. Rainbow Dash wasn't sure at that moment, but she was pretty sure it wouldn't be pretty.

"Ah-ha, so it is!" Rarity exclaimed, dropping the rest of the utensils she was carrying and facing Rainbow Dash head on. "So what are you going to say? _Ohhh_ is it serious? It isn't the _big_ _question_ is it? Give me details!" The accusations and questions flew one after another, Rarity bubbling with excitement. The giggling diva's smile was gigantic, making Rainbow Dash unsure of whether to smile herself, or fly away for her own safety.

Rainbow Dash was effectively pinned down. Not only in a literal sense, as Rarity's fabric had bound her wings, but also with words. She couldn't get out of this one—at least, not without added a dozen more lies to her growing ledger. She didn't have a choice, anymore. "Okay, _fine_ , Rarity! Yes, this is about Fluttershy, but it's _totally_ not what you think. I just have to tell Flutters something important, and I thought that you could help me out. That's it. There's no 'big question', or whatever you're talking about."

Rarity smirked at that, returning to her work. "Oh well there is _always_ a question, darling. It merely just changes with the situation. So tell me: what are you going to ask her?" Rainbow's defiance had absolutely no effect on Rarity's contagious excitement, continuing to back Rainbow Dash into a tight corner. What could she say, besides the truth? To be honest, Rainbow Dash was getting tired of these half-truths and deceptions. She had already spilled a lie, which caused AJ to do the same. If she lied again, here, it would only continue to snowball out of control until she was eventually buried by it all.

Besides: things were already getting weird, around here. It was about time Ponyville returned to normal.

"First of all: let's get things straight, okay? Everything you heard from AJ is a lie. It's not really her fault… it's mine. I was taking a quick flight around Ponyville the day we found out about that party and thinking to myself about who to take…"

The story sounded more and more ridiculous the more Rainbow Dash revealed. She couldn't really believe that she completely blown Fluttershy off like she had, that night. She couldn't believe how low she had fallen when she flat-out lied to Applejack the day after the party. She couldn't believe she had done all of this simply because of some discomfort when being around two of her _best friends_.

But worst of all? She couldn't believe how completely flake-ish she had been, just in general, to everypony. It was the complete opposite of cool. _She_ , Rainbow Dash, had been totally _un_ cool.

"…so she helped me realize that I was going about this _love_ thing totally wrong. I realized that I needed somepony who was more level-headed and careful than I am. I kind of need a chain that ties me down, making sure I don't get too crazy. So I kinda just want to tell her that, but I don't exactly know how…"

Rarity's mood had swung from shocked to amazed, and then from amazed to teary-eyed, and then back to shocked again. This weird ride of emotions that was Rainbow Dash's life apparently had an effect on the fashionista. But in short, Rarity had handled the story just as Rainbow Dash had been handling it while going through it all: she was utterly confused in every way. It probably didn't help that Rarity had returned to measuring and cutting, the whole time. It was like she wasn't even paying attention as she continued to cut, sew, and occasionally even pace to the other side of the room to pick up some ribbon or a feather.

By the time the story was over, Rarity needed some clarification: "So you _lied_ that you had a date in order to avoid being with Applejack, picked Fluttershy completely out of random chance, _lied_ about dating Fluttershy for an undetermined period of time, _told_ Fluttershy this, and having to go on said date to cover your lies, discovered you really _do_ like Fluttershy?" she pinpointed, counting off the situation. "And the whole while, going on a personal discovery in which you realized that you were making awful life-choices about relationships and your own personal preferences?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged admittedly. "More or less, yeah."

Rarity nodded, accepting the situation at hand. "Well it seems as if it has all worked out for you, Rainbow Dash. Despite going against all odds, you've managed yourself pretty well. Just do me one favor, dear: don't _just_ tell Fluttershy. If you're honest with the rest of our friends, they'll respect you so much more than they will if they find out down the road what really happened, yes?"

Rainbow Dash knew, against her will, that Rarity was right. If they did find out, they would be mad… especially AJ. She lied to the face of Honesty. Even though her lie turned out to be true in the end, it was still a lie. She _could_ just move on, act like it never happened, and convince Fluttershy that telling the truth now would just cause hurt feelings, but Rainbow Dash had already been pulling an awful lot of strings. One of them would eventually topple the tower.

Was it really worth a few moments of embarrassment?

"Yeah, yeah. I will…" Rainbow Dash promised, a mental sigh escaping as she tried to imagine that conversation. It really wasn't pretty… "But you didn't even help me out! What am I supposed to say?"

Rarity tilted her head before her horn lit up in magic. The curtain covering up the mirror parted ways, Rainbow Dash's own reflection facing her. "If you show Fluttershy what you just showed me, you'll have the perfect story already written, Rainbow Dash. The secret to any good speech is merely being yourself, and showing others just how much you care about what you're saying. And when that _'_ something' is a 'some _pony_ ', it just makes that passion all the more powerful."

Rainbow Dash stared at her own reflection, gazing intently at both herself and the new dress. It was, and Rainbow Dash rarely used this word, _really_ beautiful. Glittered silk lined the hem, the silver fabric hovering just inches off of the ground. Black cotton laced over Rainbow Dash's shoulders, flowing down her back. But starting from the hem of the slits for her wings and moving outward, rainbow flames seemed to lick the dress, building down and around to meet her at her neckline. It seemed elegant and awesome at the same time… it was perfect.

She gave herself one last once-over, then looked back up at Rarity. "You really think so?"

The fashion pony giggled, moving the mirror away. "Without a doubt. Keep the dress, too. You can never look too good while confessing your love… and heaven knows that _you_ , of all ponies, could use the makeover."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she turned toward the exit. "Thanks, Rarity."

"Not a problem, Darling," she mentioned. Just before the door shut behind Rainbow Dash, Rarity called out from the doorway one last wish: "Do say congratulations to Fluttershy for me!"

* * *

Well this was it: it was the biggest moment of Rainbow Dash's life. It was just after sundown, meaning that Fluttershy was back from her advent into the forest to feed the bunnies that lived within (her common Tuesday night ritual). If Rainbow Dash timed everything just right, and kept all of the words she wanted to say straight in her mind, everything should go according to plan.

She looked into her own reflection in her bedroom mirror, smiling at the memory of the night before. This same exact scenario had happened, except the previous night was more of a chore for her, rather than an actual stressful situation. Vinyl had appeared out of nowhere, literally, and changed everything about that night, making it more about Fluttershy than about herself. But tonight? It wasn't about her _or_ Fluttershy, it was about _them both_ ; as a couple. It was about them starting out a brand new chapter in their lives, where Rainbow Dash had no idea what was going to happen.

" _A new chapter in our lives_?" Rainbow Dash thought. _I need to quit letting the egghead rub off on me_.

She shrugged at her own reflection, being happy enough with how she looked. She couldn't worry about selfish stuff like that, anymore. This was crunch time: no more small stuff. No more guessing and planning. No more scheming and hoping. It was time to just _do it_ , and hope for the best.

But then again… was she really just _hoping for the best_? She knew that Fluttershy liked her back. It was apparent in the way she talked and the words she said. Like, for instance when she walked them to the fire and—no… that was just her getting them alone. But how about when she pointed out the fact that she said—no… That was her just being _helpful_.

Rainbow Dash's eyes grew wide at her realization: Fluttershy didn't even once say anything that even _remotely hinted_ at her liking Rainbow Dash. Not once.

So… what if she didn't?

What if—no. Her not liking Rainbow Dash was pretty much the worst case scenario.

Rainbow Dash froze in disbelief, thinking through their date, and even on to the conversation two days prior. Fluttershy had seemed _excited about it_ … but Rainbow had never really pinned down why. Fluttershy said she looked nice when she first got to the cottage… but that was just kind of _what you did_. That moment by the fire—that was definitely something. But what if Rainbow Dash was just making all of those feelings up?

She couldn't believe the sudden epiphany she had stumbled upon. All of this; all of the planning and the attention to detail, and she was just about to wander off and make the biggest, worst fool of herself. She would have been the laughing stock of Ponyville, pouring her heart out, like that.

 _I'm such an idiot_ , she thought, collapsing on the edge of her bed, and covering her head with her own hooves. _How did I not see this coming? How could I let myself get_ this deep _, and not realize that Fluttershy was just being her usual, loving self?_

With a deep breath, Rainbow Dash rolled over on her bed, her back facing the entrance to her bedroom. There was no way she was leaving, tonight. Not after all of this. So instead, she cuddled up into the smallest ball she could possibly fit in, feeling suddenly, more than ever, alone in that moment.

The brief memory of sitting in front of the fire with Fluttershy flooded her memory as the late autumn air chilled the single tear that had started escaping down Rainbow Dash's cheek. A single thought roared through her mind as she lie there, completely alone: _Why do I have to be so different_?

* * *

 **(Fluttershy's 3** **rd** **Person POV** )

Of all of the things Fluttershy thought was happening to Rainbow Dash, the truth was _far_ worse. She had honestly expected her Dashie to come running back early that evening, spilling her heart out about her feelings. It was as plain as day, at least to her, what her friend was struggling to come to terms with, but apparently Dashie had yet to figure it all out.

 _Then again_ , Fluttershy thought, _she isn't exactly the least stubborn pony in Ponyville. She probably hasn't accepted it all, yet_. Fluttershy frowned at the prospect of Rainbow Dash still sitting in her home, wrestling with herself over everything that had gone wrong in her life the past few days. She knew that everything that had happened was technically Rainbow Dash's own fault, but that did nothing to ease her conscience. Even being rudely abandoned on that pathway was, she knew, Rainbow Dash just arguing with herself over her own loneliness. But how could she help _Dashie_ see that? She, honestly, didn't have a clue.

So, instead, her plan was to wait. She would remain at home, waiting the stubborn pony out. She knew that, eventually, Rainbow Dash would come around, either confessing her feelings, or making up some wild story about how she had finally come to a false truth regarding all of her problems. But either way, Fluttershy already knew how Dashie felt.

She had seen it in Rainbow Dash's eyes, heard it in her words, and felt it in her actions. The signs were everywhere. There was no denying the truth—at least not for her. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand? With how late it was, she was already expecting that the mare had begun planning some way to get out of her problems.

In the meanwhile, she merely would wait in her home, continuing on with her own life…

Well, that was her intention, at least. She couldn't focus; the excitement and anticipation had gotten to her. The flickering of the fire under the mantle, the ticking of the clock on the far wall, the crickets in her backyard—the silence had never seemed louder; it had never drug out so long. In an act of desperation, she flew up to the nearest bookshelf, settling on a Daring Do book Twilight had lent her (she shyly admitted to herself that Rainbow Dash was the only reason she had ever been even remotely curious).

While her idea was pure, she quickly realized it wasn't going to help. After a few lines, she noticed that every line the hero thought or spoke only reminded her of her own, personal hero. In fact, by the time Fluttershy had flipped to the fifth page, she realized that the images in her mind _were_ Rainbow Dash. It wasn't Daring Do who was running through this dark, scary temple, it was her Dashie.

She slammed the book shut, startling herself with the loud noise it caused. _This is ridiculous!_ She fumed, crossing her hooves in her own defiance. _She'll come when she's good and ready._ Looking back up at the clock, she frowned, noticing the time: 11:30. _That is, if she comes at all_.

Fluttershy fell asleep an hour later, bunched up on her own sofa, the Daring Do book spread open, just before her. The twenty-second page was hardly readable, its words soaked with the tears of its heartbroken reader. Fluttershy was positive: Rainbow Dash wasn't coming. And although she knew, deep down in her heart, that it was just her Dashie being stubborn, her mind told her an entirely different truth:

Rainbow Dash didn't like her.

* * *

 _A/N: I don't know how, but this chapter ended up 800 words longer after editing it than it was before. Oh well, I'm sure y'all aren't complaining. Anyways, I really like how this one turned out after I gutted it and rewrote a lot of the dialogue (if anything doesn't make sense, I do apologize. I scanned it, looking for stuff I missed deleting when I rewrote things, and while I don't believe I missed anything, I could be wrong). Before, things turned out the same, but a lot of stuff was just… bad. *shrug* things happen, oh well._

 _One more chapter (I think), and we are done with part 2! This is awesome! I really hope you all have enjoyed this story. While I haven't really gotten a lot of feedback, the constant stream of hits and readers really shows me that you all—if not enjoyed this story—stuck it out to the very end. It means a lot!_

 _See everybrony in the next (and last) chapter for part 2!_


	12. Part 2: A Glimmer

**A Glimmer**

The birds roosting outside of the bedroom window stirred Rainbow Dash out of her dreamless sleep, the incessant chirping seeming louder than usual. Rainbow Dash rolled over, shoving the pillow over her head, a soft groan being her only welcome to the day. Feeling unusually confined, she shook the pillow off of her head, glancing down under the covers in search of the cause: fabric.

 _Why am I—_

She was halfway through the thought before a flood of memories rushed through her mind—or maybe it was better described as a lack of memories. Collapsing back on the bed, she shoved her face into the mattress. _Great, Dash… you blew it. You had ONE chance at this, and you didn't even try._

Regret. The first thing she felt was a wave of regret. But just like last night, uncertainty quickly followed, settling her right back in a rut. She still had no idea of what to do—or of what anything meant. This war that seemed to be raging in her mind, flip-flopping back-and-forth between the obvious and the practical… it hadn't loosened its grip one bit.

She half knew that she was wrong. She half knew that Fluttershy _had_ to care about her, and that she was just being ridiculous. She knew she should have flown to her cottage last night and spilled her guts, because Fluttershy would have accepted her with open hooves, no matter what the outcome was. And what hurt the worst was that she knew Fluttershy still would, if she could just gather up the courage to try and fix this.

But the other half of her wouldn't shut up. The other half told her that Fluttershy was entirely too nice to everypony else. Rainbow Dash never really got any special treatment, so how in Equestria could she think that Fluttershy thought of her any differently? If Rainbow just flew to her cottage, blurted out her feelings, and expected the best, odds are that she would just get rejected. Knowing Fluttershy, it would be the nicest, gentlest rejection _ever_ —but it'd still be a rejection. And to be honest? Rainbow didn't know if she could handle that…

 _Maybe I should just sleep it off… again…_ she reasoned, rolling onto her back, her eyes staring at the ceiling. It was _barely_ morning… it wasn't like she could do anything about it right now—besides worry and fumble through her own thoughts. _An hour more can't hurt… or maybe two…_ she thought, rolling back over and shutting her eyes.

Rainbow Dash could usually fall asleep in an instant. She never stressed about anything or let her mind wander for long, but that morning she just couldn't shake this feeling that she should get up and go talk to Flutters. She laid silently, listening to the constant, incessant ticking of her alarm clock, rolling and fidgeting. Minutes passed, yet to Rainbow it seemed like hours as her mind refused to get off the subject of a certain pony, until a single _thud_ against her window broke the silence.

She rolled over, her ears perked in attention, when it echoed throughout her room again. It sounded like something had hit her window. _"Rainbow Dash_!" a country-accented voice drifted up from far below, inciting another groan from Rainbow Dash. _This is just great_ , she thought, taking a slow, deep breath. This was about the _last_ thing that she needed: AJ coming along to drag her out of bed this early in the morning.

"I'm coming; I'm coming. Geez… give a pony a minute." she griped, flopping out of bed and shuffling toward the door. She cracked it open, wincing as the bright sunlight seemed to blind her eyes. Once her vision cleared, she peered over the edge of her home's cloud, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Morning, AJ," she yawned through the words, blinking one last time.

Applejack opened her mouth, but as the country pony's eyes met her friend, she paused, giving the Pegasus a quick once-over. She gave a small chuckle before finally speaking up: "A 'lil early for that fancy get-up, ain't it, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash looked back over her shoulder, lifting a hoof to look over the dress. _I really need to change out of this thing…_ "It's a long story. Anyways, what's up?" she asked, steering the conversation right back to its original purpose. The last thing that she needed was having to explain all of _that_ to AJ. That was a battle for a different day… So instead, she flew down to meet her friend. It was entirely too early to be yelling back and forth, in Rainbow's opinion.

"Twilight said some high-'n-mighty people were comin' in from Cloudsdale, and that havin' you and Fluttershy there would help make a good impression on her. She wanted me 't asked if ya would be willin' to come and welcome them to Ponyville."

Rainbow Dash didn't know if there was a princess of karma in some other land, but if there was, she had some choice words for her. Of _all_ the things that could have happened, this was pretty much the worst (she had never truly understood why Rarity said that until now). ' _high-'n-mighty people'_ from Cloudsdale? That _had_ to be a council. Cloudsdale councilmembers barely _ever_ came to Ponyville. What in Celestia's name could they be _here_ for?

She gave a small sigh, staring down at the ground in indecision. She could very easily just say no, claim she had other things to do… Knowing how much she had been running off with her friends, she was positive she could find _something_ she had been putting off… But this was for Twilight, as much as she hated to admit it. This had nothing to do with Fluttershy, really, and the uncoolest thing she could probably do at that point was make one of her friends suffer because she was having issues.

Besides: they were big little ponies: she could be in the same room as Fluttershy, couldn't she?

"Yeah, sure," She finally stated. "Tell Twilight I'll be there." She stared down at her own clothes, giving a small chuckle, "…just as soon as I dress down."

Applejack smiled at that. "I hear ya, Dash; that get-up looks awfully uncomfortable. But thanks for helpin' Twi out. I'll go let her know."

Rainbow Dash had one thought as she flew back up to her house: _This is_ not _going to go well._

* * *

"…and so having said that, you two being here will also show our willingness to work with them on a few key talking-points—namely, those I pointed out in Section D of the list I gave you. And lastly: if you look toward the last page, in section G, you'll see that starting with Princess Celestia's visit during Commander Thundercloud's time as captain of the Wonderbolts, having two high-ranking Pegasus officials accompany all royalty has been a tradition kept over the last few centuries. Thus having you two here is also a sign of respect. While Princess Cadance didn't follow this traditional greeting, her situation was drastically different as it happened on unofficial ground; namely in Manehattan's Pony Summit. I should think that, all things considered, this is an acceptable excuse, so for my own introduction to them, I wish to keep this as reverential as possible. Any questions?"

Twilight had been going on for what seemed like _forever_. Rainbow, for what it was worth, tried paying attention, but once things got to 'Section B', she kind of gave up hope. Instead, she turned her attention toward Fluttershy.

"I think I got it…" the pony in question whispered, flipping a page in Twilight's instructions. "So we kind of just… say 'hi' and shake their hoof?"

Rainbow noticed that she wasn't looking at her. But it wasn't just that Fluttershy never looked at her—it's that Fluttershy _refused_ to look at her. There was just this… _look_ that she had. It was hid; hid enough to fool Twilight, but Rainbow Dash wasn't Twilight, and she could see right through the pony. Fluttershy was upset. And not only was Flutters upset, but she was upset at _Rainbow Dash_.

"While I think that's a dramatic understatement for everything that you both will represent," Twilight added, "in essence: yes. But please try and show your enthusiasm. I have a lot riding on this, okay?"

That _look_. It was almost like a misty spark in her vision that showed she was upset at something. It didn't happen often—Fluttershy was entirely too accommodating for that—but it was there. It was killing Rainbow Dash every time she saw it, just like she knew it was killing Fluttershy, herself.

"Don't worry, Twilight. Everything is going to be _perfect_." Fluttershy smiled encouragingly, closing the paper with finality.

"Thanks Fluttershy," she answered, returning the smile. "You got this down, right Rainbow Dash?"

Her own name being spoke caught Rainbow off-guard, making her eyes grow wide for just a moment. "I—uh—Yeah! It'll go great. Don't worry so much, Twi." The words fumbled out, but Rainbow was too busy with her thoughts. How could Fluttershy be so livid about any number of things, and just always shrug it off? If it wasn't for that small spark of pain in her eye, it would be like nothing had ever happened… it was weird.

Twilight smiled, turning to retreat back into the throne room. "Perfect. I'm going to go give everything one last check. You two stay here and get ready—they'll be here any minute." She began to pace away before sharply turning around, a guilty smile on her face. "Oh… and thanks again for your help, girls." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, turning away from the retreating figure. She was, as usual, freaking out… nothing new, there.

She turned, facing Fluttershy, a knowing resignation taking hold. This wasn't silent treatment—Fluttershy was entirely too nice for that. This was pure hurt, and Rainbow Dash couldn't take it. There was no avoiding this, and there really wasn't any backing out, either. She just had to leap in, head first, and get it over with. "We… need to talk, don't we?" She had until the trumpets signaled their guests' arrival to, if nothing else, clear the tension.

Fluttershy gave her a small, sideways glance, her gaze still downward on the papers in front of her. "We do? I figured you had everything under control, Dashie."

Rainbow Dash looked down at her hooves, letting out a frustrated sigh. She knew Fluttershy had every right to at least be a little miffed at the whole situation, but it still stung. "Okay, I deserve that one. But yeah—we need to talk."

Fluttershy gave a small sigh of resignation before turning to face her fellow Pegasus: "Well then how about we—" The trumpets sounded just then, interrupting Fluttershy and causing her to give just the smallest squeak of surprise. She took a deep breath, turning toward the door once more. "We'll talk later, okay?"

With a nod, the two stood up from the table, facing the door, and began their wait for the procession to enter the room.

"…and these two ponies, I'm sure you'll recognize, yourself." Twilight entered the room, the purple haze of her magic blanketing her horn and the door. "Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, I would like to introduce you to Silver Wing, the Cloud Council's representative from Cloudsdale."

Fluttershy gave a brief bow, giving Rainbow the signal to do so, as well. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Councilman Silver Wing." The words felt smooth, practiced. It was just then that Rainbow Dash realized that she hadn't even thought of what to say. She cleared her throat, fumbling through her own sentence: "I—uh, yeah. It's an honor, Mister Silver."

Rainbow Dash mentally shrugged. If that was the worst thing to happen to her, today, then things were starting to look up, for once.

The ambassador guy—Rainbow Dash barely listened to Twilight's spiel—gave a polite nod to each of them. "The pleasure is all mine, ladies."

Twilight gave a wink at the both of them as she led the way into the fancy 'you-can't-come-in-here' room, gesturing for the stuck-up guy to follow. "Thank you, girls. Now if you'll excuse us, we have a few matters to attend to." She continued to walk past them, turning her attention back to this Silver Wing guy. "If you'll follow me, I'll lead you into the conference room. I trust that you went over this matter with Princess Celestia? We have been discussing your selling points through letter, and as for your proposal, we have…"

The words faded away, and with them, so did the rest of the Cloudsdale procession. It was just Flutters and her in the room, once more, causing the tension to return. The silent seemed as thick as the clouds that the dignitary had represented as the two simply stood in the room, neither one quite wanting to be the one to speak first. Eventually, Rainbow Dash couldn't take it: "What's up with that, anyways? ' _The pleasure is all mine'_? It doesn't make sense, and honestly sounds kinda creepy."

Fluttershy merely gave her a pointed look.

"…Right."

She was right: this wasn't going to go well.

* * *

 _A/N: I could sit here and go on and on about how sorry I am for the wait, but I'm, like, 85.7% sure that most of you either don't care or didn't notice, so I'll skip that spiel. Instead: here's the next chapter! I know I said in the last note that this was gonna be the last one… yeah, that was very wrong, because I didn't realize how long these chapters are… The NEXT one is gonna be the last one. K? K. Awesome._

 _Oh, and part 3 is going to be coming, however slowly, and is going to be a continuation of TwiJack, because I do what I want, and they're my OTP. K? K. Awesome (redundancy is redundant…)._


End file.
